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D3baseball.com => Conferences by region => Mideast Region => Topic started by: Ralph Turner on January 09, 2006, 11:38:52 PM

Title: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on January 09, 2006, 11:38:52 PM
Hello, Ohio Athletic Conference baseball fans.

Sure, it is snowy and cold outside.

I know you just can't wait much longer.  The "Hot Stove League" is calling!   The highs in Texas have been in the low 80's.  A little early spring weather to warm that baseball blood! ;)

I know the 'Etta Express is coming to Abilene, TX in March for the Key City Classic at beautiful Driggers Field against McMurry among other schools.

http://www.mcm.edu/sports/baseball/DriggersField.htm

Pat Coleman has allowed me to moderate the Message Boards for Baseball.

I am asking for volunteers to assist me in the effort.  There are plenty of D3Baseball fans, and some good D3Baseball websites.  But hopefully this will fill a void that many of have seen in our D3 community.

Please email me if you are interested.  You can look at the ASC, the ODAC, the NESCAC and the NCAC message boards for some ideas of what is happening in those conferences.

Play Ball! :)
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tezbaseball on January 22, 2006, 12:29:20 AM
Interesting site. You can see by where a MLB player went to school.

http://baseballreference.com/schools/
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BigPoppa on January 25, 2006, 06:30:23 PM
Who are the region's top teams? Wooster is the obvious choice as they are #1 in the nation, but who follows them if they stumble?

Does Marietta still have it? What about Ohio Wesleyan, Anderson, Albion, Allegheny??? Talk to me. What's the 4-1-1?

Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: kdoggy on January 26, 2006, 12:56:19 AM
Adrian College in the MIAA in Michigan has to be a top team in the region.  They went 27-16 last season, return their number one and two pitcher and seven starters from a team that finished fourth in the Mideast Regional.  They lost one outfielder and their catcher.  Wooster blew them out in round one, but AC defeated a pretty talented Millsaps team in round two, and got eliminated in round three by Manchester in 10 innings.

New president at Adrian and has announced he is spending a ton of cash in the next year.  Already building a 6.5 million dollar football stadium and a 1.1 million dollar baseball stadium isn't far behind.

My pick from Michigan is Adrian.  Look for them to be back in the Regionals this upcoming spring and actucally make some noise.

Very talented team that pitches well, plays great defense and hits enough.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: David Collinge on January 26, 2006, 01:34:53 AM
You two sure look a lot alike... :)
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: tdubs on January 30, 2006, 08:01:19 PM
Where was this board 4 years ago?lol
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bodhi5 on February 01, 2006, 11:23:04 AM
Quote from: BigPoppa on January 25, 2006, 06:30:23 PM
Who are the region's top teams? Wooster is the obvious choice as they are #1 in the nation, but who follows them if they stumble?

Does Marietta still have it? What about Ohio Wesleyan, Anderson, Albion, Allegheny??? Talk to me. What's the 4-1-1?



Don't forget about the top HCAC teams when discussing the Mideast Region.  Manchester College has made the NCAA tourny three out of the last four seasons ('02, '04, '05) and winning the Mideast Regional Championship (at Wooster by the way) in 2004.  Franklin College looks to have another solid season in '06 as well.  Franklin won the HCAC regular season in '06, but fell to Manchester in the HCAC tournament and did not receive a Pool C bid to the NCAA tournament. 
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: tdubs on February 06, 2006, 11:57:52 AM
Who are the teams to beat this year?
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on March 14, 2006, 06:46:32 PM
McMurry 11, Marietta 1.

http://www.mcm.edu/sports/baseball/mcmmar.htm

McMurry moves to 12-4, Marietta 2-4.

This still has to be considered "spring training" for Marietta, which used 4 pitchers.

Marietta plays Southern Nazarene (NAIA) this afternoon and Hardin-Simmons tomorrow.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: woosterbooster on March 14, 2006, 07:28:51 PM
Ralph, what level is Hardin-Simmons?  I remember as a kid in New York in the fifties reading the football scores on the back page of the Daily News and always seeing them getting pummelled by the bigger and better Texas schools.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: formerd3db on March 20, 2006, 08:08:03 PM
Hope loses two to Ohio Wesleyan this past weekend on Sat down in Florida.  Good start for OWU, not so good for Hope. :o
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: johnworms on March 21, 2006, 04:00:52 PM
Ralph Turner,
       One of Coach Brewer's former players (Marc Thibeault) has gotten John Carroll off to a 10-2 start!
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 25, 2006, 01:30:04 PM
Quote from: Wooster Booster on March 14, 2006, 07:28:51 PM
Ralph, what level is Hardin-Simmons?  I remember as a kid in New York in the fifties reading the football scores on the back page of the Daily News and always seeing them getting pummelled by the bigger and better Texas schools.

Hardin-Simmons is NCAA Division III.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on March 25, 2006, 01:53:04 PM
Quote from: Wooster Booster on March 14, 2006, 07:28:51 PM
Ralph, what level is Hardin-Simmons?  I remember as a kid in New York in the fifties reading the football scores on the back page of the Daily News and always seeing them getting pummelled by the bigger and better Texas schools.

Wooster Booster,

Sorry to get back to you so slowly.  Hardin-Simmons was major college in all sports until 1990.  They dropped football in about 1963 but continued to be what became Division I-AAA (major college, no football).  In about 1990, they adopted the non-scholarship model, joined the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association and added non-scholarship football.  The TIAA competed in NAIA-2, until the formation of the ASC in 1996 and the move to D3 as a conference.

HSU has a proud history in football.  They claim 2 HOF'ers, Bulldog Turner (no relation) and Head Coach in the 1950's Sammy Baugh.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: woosterbooster on March 25, 2006, 03:53:32 PM
Wow.  That makes the first two coaches of the New York Jets (although they were the Titans back then) products of Hardin- Simmons.  Baugh, two years, 1960 and 1961, and Turner, 1962. That's pretty strange.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on March 25, 2006, 04:42:46 PM
Wooster,  Sammy Baugh went to TCU for undergrad.

http://www.collegefootballnews.com/Top_100_Players/Top_100_Players_3_Sammy_Baugh.htm
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: David Collinge on May 14, 2006, 02:04:02 PM
OAC Tourney Page (http://www.otterbein.edu/athletics/Baseball/OACtournament2006/index.htm)

It's down to Marietta and Otterbein, with the Pioneers needing to take two from the Cardinals to take the title.  'Etta ousted Mt. Union this morning, 12-5, after the Raiders had done in the Student Princes, 11-9.  Otterbein pinned an 11-6 loss on Marietta on Saturday.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: David Collinge on May 14, 2006, 05:11:53 PM
Marietta takes the first, 12-5, forcing a one-game showdown at Otterbein, presumably underway now.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 14, 2006, 07:04:03 PM
Tied 4-4 in the 12th. Cannot get on either Web feed (Marietta or Otterbein, I presume both are full).

I would think between Ott beating MC three times and St. Thomas and winning the OAC they're in, and with Marietta winning 35 games and getting to the final game they're in as well.

One possibility that's crossed my mind is Marietta going south and never seeing Wooster or western Indiana, considering where I am in South Carolina right now is about as close to Marietta as Terre Haute.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 14, 2006, 07:12:58 PM
Otterbein is on Sportsjuice. That stream should not be full. But I cannot get it either.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 14, 2006, 07:25:41 PM
5-4 Otterbein in 12.

Eisenberg, Dunn, Knowlton and Merryman the pitchers for Marietta. Merryman was the last one I think.

What can you say...4 times they've come from behind to win at home. We had 15 hits.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: jdean on May 19, 2006, 01:13:25 PM
Anybody have any idea how Ott and Mary are doing in the tournie?
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 20, 2006, 12:19:55 AM
There's a large amount of baseball NCAA Tournament discussion on the multi-regional baseball topics board.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: seventiesraider on January 16, 2007, 08:06:24 AM
Another Marrietta Player goes pro:

DeMark inks minor league contract with San Diego Padres
(http://pioneers.marietta.edu/baseball/archive/2006-07/20070115.html)

Also link at end of article about Express players in the pro's
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 02, 2007, 08:24:37 AM
Six Killed in Bluffton baseball bus crash... this is just awful.   Our thoughts and prayers to all in the Bluffton Family:

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6522208
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BoomerIL on March 02, 2007, 08:58:41 AM
My deepest sympathies go out to all of the families whos kids were killed or injured, and to the Bluffton community who are also traumatized by this awful accident.

Prayers from our family go out to all of those affected by this terribly accident.  May god bless them all.

Rich Cannon and family
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: njlincolnlion on March 02, 2007, 11:24:42 AM
My sincerest condolences to the Bluffton University community and to the families that lost loved ones.  My prayers are with you, and may God comfort you all during this most difficult time.   :(
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Stout survivor on March 02, 2007, 04:58:51 PM
On behalf of UW-Sout  I would like to offer our condolences to the program and family's of the Bluffton baseball team
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on March 04, 2007, 08:48:27 AM
http://www.marietta.edu/athletics/baseball/archive/2006-07/20070303.html

Marietta opens 2007 with a pair of wins behind Tony Piconke's bat.  Piconke, who homered in last year's National Championship game, picked up where he left off as he hit home runs in both games Saturday afternoon. 
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on March 10, 2007, 08:16:45 AM
In maybe the biggest mismatch since Thermopylae, Otterbein hosts the 16 Spartans of Case Western Reserve (that's the toal of the squad) today in a DH.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 12, 2007, 09:15:00 AM
Quote from: cwru70 on March 10, 2007, 08:16:45 AM
In maybe the biggest mismatch since Thermopylae, Otterbein hosts the 16 Spartans of Case Western Reserve (that's the toal of the squad) today in a DH.
Well, considering Case only had 16 players dressed for this DH vs. the preseason #1 team in the country, it has to be considered a pretty signifcant upset that Case was able to gain a split of the DH.  After losing to AA Dan Remenowski and co. 5-1 in the 1st game, Case rallied to upset Ott 9-7 in the nightcap!  Congrats to the Spartans on the upset!

Funny thing.  I had just read Ott's season preview on their homepage before checking out their schedule.  Here's a quote from Ott's coach regarding the Cards garnering the preseason #1 ranking:

Quote"If somebody has to bear the burden of being the preseason No. 1, let it be us," said eighth-year head coach George Powell. "We were always fighting to get the respect and now that we've gotten it, it's a motivating source. Our players know the target is on us."

Guess it wasn't motivating enough to sweep a DH from a totally overmatched Case Western?!
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on March 13, 2007, 08:57:20 AM
Marietta took care of business yesterday, sweeping Tx-Dallas and McMurry in the Abilene Classic.  They improve to 5-0 on the year and have 5 games remaining on their Texas spring trip.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: countyroad on March 13, 2007, 11:16:21 AM
Being that I'm living in Columbus now and not Wooster my most likely chance to see them play is at Otterbein. I'm looking forward to that game.  Should be a good one. I hope to seen Otterbein play quite a bit now. I like a good baseball game.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 23, 2007, 09:57:38 AM
Hey B-Rah, nice to see someone else representing on here.

Marietta's now 10-3 following a very challenging southern schedule in which practically every game was against at least a decent ballclub. We split against the best one, NAIA ranked Texas Wesleyan, playing two very close low-scoring ballgames. The VERY young pitching staff has allowed only 10 runs in their last 5 games.

Next up is Brockport State, annually one of the better teams in the New York region and owner of last week's pitcher of the week nationally.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gimme on March 30, 2007, 12:06:06 AM
Etta Express is good this year.  Otterbein will get everything together and we will see one helluva OAC tournament championship.



Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 30, 2007, 03:02:52 PM
Hey someone else on the board lol...

I hope you're right. I listened to the Denison game on the web and it sounded like we didn't play very well offensively. Muskingum is 14-1 and a few other teams have put together solid starts, so it looks like there's decent competition in the conference.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 07, 2007, 01:03:41 PM
Marietta-Otterbein on the radio.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html

30 degrees, gusts to 30mph blowing out. Otterbein has their top two going. Marietta searching for reliable pitching.

Johnny and Mark are on the radio.

Edit: Otterbein won game 1, 16-3.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 07, 2007, 03:55:03 PM
Edit: Marietta 8, Otterbein 5 in the back end. Big pitching performance by TJ Knowlton. Otterbein still got several bloop hits but nothing came of most of them. Tyler Penwell finished up and gave up the two inherited runs and one of his own, but never faced the lead run.

Otterbein's 3-1 in the league, Marietta 2-2.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: WLCALUM83 on April 09, 2007, 06:42:22 PM
Final just in:  Denison 3, Muskingum 2 (10 innings)
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 09, 2007, 07:34:04 PM
Thanks...sounds like a dandy between a couple of pretty decent teams.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 12, 2007, 05:17:20 PM
Marietta drops the first game of their doubleheader against Capital, 7-4. TJ Knowlton pitched pretty well as the starter but the freshman-filled bullpen couldn't hold it. Offensively Marietta still has no luck at all...hitting numerous line drives right at fielders, particularly in the late innings.

Marietta takes the second game, 4-3. Justin Merryman goes the distance, ending it in dramatic fashion, as Capital leaves the bases loaded in the 7th and Merryman records the last out on a K looking.

Marietta's 15-7, 3-3; Capital 9-12, 3-3.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 16, 2007, 06:08:21 PM
Marietta gets a much-needed doubleheader sweep with 1-0 and 4-1 wins at Ohio Northern.

The game was played in winds of up to 45 mph with sustained winds near 30. Marietta had 1 hit in the first game but took advantage of 3 ONU errors in one inning to scratch a run. MC strung together several hits in the 7th of the second game to score all 4 runs in the last frame.

Nate Eschbaugh and T.J. Knowlton your complete game winning pitchers.

Back at it tomorrow with MC baseball community day against Mount Union. Let's hope for a nice day, a good crowd and two Etta Express wins.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 16, 2007, 11:09:43 PM
Other OAC results

Capital splits with Otterbein; winning 12-10 and losing 10-6. That breaks a 13 game losing streak to OTT for the Crusaders. Been some week for them.

HEID and WILM split, HEID winning 16-2 then losing 17-5.

HEID and OTT are now 6-2, leading the conference. JCU is 5-2, Marietta 5-3. Capital 4-4, Baldwin-Wallace 3-3.

I think pretty much everyone plays tomorrow.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on April 17, 2007, 08:12:18 PM
Marietta takes both games from Mount today, coming from behind to score 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th in game two. The top of the OAC now stands at:

Ott 8-2
Heid 7-2
Mar 7-3
BW 7-3
JCU 5-4

Marietta still has doubleheaders with Heid, BW, and JCU to come. Should be a great last few weeks leading up to the OAC tourny.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 17, 2007, 09:31:25 PM
Beat me to it. One correction though, B-W is 3-5, but Capital is 6-4 after a stupendous comeback from 12-2 down in the second game against Muskingum.

Capital is really starting to develop some momentum. They've won 4 of 6 against Marietta, Otterbein and Muskingum. They were losing close games consistently, now they're starting to win some of them.

Four runs allowed the last 4 games for Marietta. Merryman allowed 1 on 4 hits and K'ed 7, while a combined effort got the job done in the second.

You can tell we're getting close to May because Ryan Eschbaugh's starting to lock it in. Seems like every year we try to take his spot away from him in March because he's hitting his weight and by May you can't budge him. The team is developing some depth in the lineup as well.

If we can get Baumler back healthy (and today was a good sign in that regard, the 1 inning was planned according to Chris Wharff), I think this is a pretty good team right now, for all their struggles. Could use a little more offense for sure, but I think there are enough options there that all of the experimenting Brewer and Deegs are doing will eventually pay off.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 21, 2007, 02:47:48 PM
Marietta turned four double plays and allowed 1 runner past first base in a 3-1 first-game win over John Carroll.

TJ Knowlton with the win. Joe Litke homered.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on April 21, 2007, 09:57:32 PM
- JCU comes from behind to defeat Marietta in game two 6-5, and salvage a split at home.
- OTT and HEID split to stay tied for first at the top of the league.
- Capital blows a big opportunity to pick up some ground today and gets swept by Mount.
- ONU splits with MUSK.
- BW splits with WILM.

Current OAC standings:

OTT 9-3
HEID 9-3
MAR 8-4
JCU 8-5
CAP 6-6
BW 5-7
MOUNT 5-7
ONU 4-8
WILM 4-7
MUSK 1-9
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 21, 2007, 10:23:52 PM
Thanks...had to go away for the afternoon. Defense let down the Pio pitchers in Game 2. Missed a big opportunity to control their own destiny as a result. Now even if they were to sweep Heidelberg they need help to host the tournament. Big win for John Carroll though...beat Marietta at their own game...they got the bunts down, we couldn't field them. Then they got the clutch hit when it absolutely had to happen. Thibeault and his clubs battle hard and it showed today.

Capital apparently fired all their bullets over the past 6 days.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on April 28, 2007, 11:47:54 PM
Marietta and Heidelberg split today.  Otterbein swept Mount Union.  Capital and John Carroll split today.

OAC standings:

OTT 11-3
HEID 10-4
MAR 11-5
JCU 9-6
CAP 7-7
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2007, 12:29:30 AM
Yikes. We struggle for pitching in the 2nd game today and have two at Wooster tomorrow? Any chance for a miracle heal on Baumler by tomorrow? Oy.

The Wilmington loss is the one that's hurting us right now. Splitting with the others isn't bad and Otterbein still has to play JCU.

Good news is I believe we officially have a #3 pitcher now. Eschbaugh continues to do the job.

2 big ones tomorrow, probably against their top two. Tall order; great challenge for the guys.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2007, 01:14:06 PM
Marietta-Wooster underway. Brian Hesson (3IP, 0.00 ERA) for Marietta vs. Adam Samson is the pitching matchup.

Update: Wooster won game 1. It's 3-0 Wooster in Game 2. Trapuzzano vs. Van Voorhees.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2007, 01:53:38 PM
Btw, does anyone know why Marietta thought Wooster was throwing a right hander in Game 1? Chris Wharff said they changed the lineup from a LH-heavy one to RH-heavy at the last minute.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2007, 05:09:05 PM
Wooster completes the sweep, 7-3. Marietta took a chance and brought in a rusty Jason Baumler with two runners in scoring position in the fifth, down 3-2. Pat Christensen doubled on a 2-strike count.

Let's hope that means Baumler is starting to make his way back. From what Chris Wharff said, he may pitch against Baldwin-Wallace on Friday. Tough spot to try to come back though.

David Van Voorhees had thrown pretty well up to that point but with two walks in the inning, the staff went to their injury-plagued ace to try to get the third out.

A healthy Baumler down the stretch makes this a much better team, obviously, even though they'd still be down one starter. But he would give them a fairly established top 4 and Van Voorhees may have taken a step up beyond that today. I just hope people don't just look at the scores today and think Marietta can't compete and doesn't deserve Pool C consideration if it came to that. Anyone with a clue about baseball knows what a tough challenge this was. You're talking #8 and #7 against #1 and #2. I think the guys battled back well in game 2, where really one swing of the bat made the difference in the game.

Back at it Tuesday and Wednesday.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on April 30, 2007, 07:47:45 PM
Otterbein got swept today at Ohio Northern to fall to a three way tie for first in the OAC at 11-5.  How in the world did this happen?

Otterbein 11-5
Heidelberg 11-5
Marietta 11-5
John Carroll 9-6
Capital 9-7
Baldwin-Wallace 8-8

Final OAC doublheaders coming up this Saturday:

OTT @ JCU
BW @ MAR
MUSK @ HEID
ONU @ CAP
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 30, 2007, 08:54:08 PM
No gimmies this year in the OAC!

Unfortunately, unless OTT and HEID both lose again, this doesn't really help Marietta all that much. The exception is if

OTT, HEID and MAR all split head to head. Capital split with all three as well. Heidelberg should be in the driver's seat for ties with a sweep of John Carroll.

If all three teams sweep, Otterbein's sweep of B-W puts them first (both OTT and HEID swept John Carroll) with Heidelberg second, Marietta third.

If all three split, Heidelberg is first because of their sweep of JCU. Otterbein would be second with a sweep over Baldwin-Wallace, with Marietta third.

If all three somehow get swept, then John Carroll is the outright #1 seed with the possibility of a 4 way tie for 2nd if CAP swept ONU.

If Heidelberg and Marietta are tied for first, Heidelberg would win the tiebreaker because of the sweep of JCU.

If Heidelberg and Otterbein are tied at 13-5, Otterbein would win by a sweep of B-W. A tie at 12-6 would be Heidelberg's by way of the sweep of JCU.

If Marietta and Otterbein are tied for first, Otterbein wins the tie.

There's just one other exception to this, and that's if someone other than JCU, Cap or B-W finishes above 7th. OTT was the only team to sweep WILM, and the only team to lose to ONU. They all swept Mount Union. So if Marietta and Otterbein were both tied for first at 12-6 and Ohio Northern finished 6th, Marietta would host.

I don't think I missed anything, but feel free to reply if you figure out a scenario I missed.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 02, 2007, 10:25:09 PM
Big win for Marietta tonight, 4-1 over Washington & Jefferson. Nate Eschbaugh started and went 4, giving up one run and Tyler Penwell was very good in relief, getting the win. W&J ace Sam Mann was the hard-luck loser, giving up two unearned runs on his own throwing error. Ron Mitko gave up 2 runs in 3 innings of relief.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: tdubs on May 06, 2007, 11:17:49 AM
Congrats to CAP on making the OAC tournament for the first time in a long time!
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 06, 2007, 01:33:23 PM
1995 was it?
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 06, 2007, 02:12:41 PM
Marietta and Thiel are underway: Van Voorhees for Marietta; the ace Wadowsky for Thiel.

This may be the first pitching matchup I've ever seen in which both pitchers say the hell with triskadekaphobia and wear #13.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 06, 2007, 06:08:31 PM
Thiel won, 7-3. Marietta threw three different guys and had 11 hits but couldn't convert into runs as efficiently.

Big win for Thiel, which is now very quietly 27-13.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: FranElia on May 08, 2007, 08:35:17 AM
Congratulations to former Marietta ace Matt DeSalvo for his impressive major league debut last night with the Yankees (three hits, one run allowed over seven innings vs. the Mariners). Too bad he ended up with a no decision.

I remember Matt striking out about a thousand batters vs. Salisbury in the 2001 Div. III World Series. Great to see him succeeding on the major league level.

Fran Elia
Cortland SID
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 08, 2007, 05:55:04 PM
Speaking of strikeouts, did you ever think he'd put up those numbers in his debut with ZERO strikeouts?

I had to laugh when they took him out after 89 pitches. I'm thinking "heck he's just getting going!"
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 10, 2007, 11:11:51 PM
Finals from day one of the OAC tourney:

Ott beat Marietta by the final of 7-3 and it was Cap over Heidelberg 8-7.

This sets up a really interesting losers bracket with 'Etta taking on the Berg to see who's post-season hopes remain alive. 

Interesting that the Berg came in as the #1 seed in the OAC and they could be 2 and done!
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 11, 2007, 12:20:46 PM
I don't know that it's a battle to stay alive for postseason for Marietta. It may be, but it may not be. Otterbein was ahead of them in the regional rankings, and Transy lost their first game as well. W&J may be Pool B in which case what they do wouldn't matter much either.

It certainly would be advisable for Marietta to win, but not sure it's lose and you're out for sure.

Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 11, 2007, 01:42:45 PM
I was just of the opinion that going 0-2 in the OAC tournament could be pretty damaging.  Maybe not quite as much so to Marietta, but if Hiedelberg were to lose, I don't see them having much of a shot at a Pool C.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 11, 2007, 02:10:41 PM
Agree. Heidelberg won't get a Pool C.

Going 0-2 in the OAC tournament would be damaging, but not sure it would be terminal.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on May 14, 2007, 09:57:29 AM
Congrats to Capital for a great season.  I know the record was sub-.500, but to make it to the OAC championship game is pretty impressive.  Looking through their results from the season, there were a lot of close losses.  I saw them play at Transy in the cold in early April, and I certainly saw a good ball club that hung with a nationally ranked (at the time) team.  Coach Weyrich certainly has that team headed in the right direction, and with the improvements being made to Clowson field and in other areas, it seems that the Crusaders are a team on the rise.

What stings is that Cap had the upper hand in the OAC tourney and only had to win one more game.  Instead they get swept by the hated Otters.  I would definitely have been a first for Cap to have made the NCAA's in Football, Basketball, and Baseball in the same season.  It isn't just a baseball team on the rise, it is the whole athletic department.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on May 15, 2007, 10:12:04 AM
I posted this on the football board (my regular board):

The OAC has sent two representatives to the NCAA D3 tourney in each of the three "big" men's sports:  Cap and Mount in football, Cap and JCU in Basketball, and Etta and Otterbein in baseball.

I know the OAC gets its props for being a great football conference, but it would seem that we are starting to be recognized in other sports as well.  Let's hope this trend continues.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 15, 2007, 10:35:15 AM
JK,

The OAC hasn't just recently started to establish itself as a power conference in basketball and baseball.  It has been one of the top 3 to 4 conferences in the country in basketball  for a while now with Ott, ONU and JCU all making trips to the Final 4 in the last 10 years and Ott winning it all in the '01-'02 season.  Not to mention BW's and Cap's recent appearances in the NCAA's. 

As for baseball, it's hard to top Marietta's success on the diamond with all of their National Championsips.  The NCAC might have challenged the OAC as the top baseball conference in the region, but over the past couple years with the weakening of a couple of NCAC schools, the OAC is arguably the best conference in the region now. 

The OAC is just a quality sports conference in the so-called 'big' sports and it's been that way for quite some time.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on May 15, 2007, 01:02:16 PM
ScotsFan,

I completely concur.  As a Cap grad and an OAC "homer,"  I have always felt the OAC was a top league in all sports.  I never meant to insinuate that I didn't think that.

Despite your and my opinion, however, it seems that the OAC, at least outside of Football, has had a hard time getting more than their AQ into certain NCAA championship tourneys.  I can recall the year OTT won the basketball championship that Cap only lost three league games, all to Otterbein, and was left out.  There was a lot of talk on the basketball boards this year about the OAC not measuring up as a conference, and whether or not JCU would get in after losing the AQ to Cap.
 
In baseball, outside of Marietta, which is pretty nationally known, there doesn't seem to be a lot of respect for the OAC outside of the region.

Maybe I am wrong, as I don't follow Basketball and Baseball as much as I do Football, but I can't recall a year that the OAC put two teams in each touney in the same school year in the big three mens sports.  I think that says that while a lot of people familiar with the OAC and this region have felt that the OAC was one of, if not the top league, that the powers that be are starting to recognize that as well and rewarding it with a second bid to the tourneys.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 15, 2007, 02:59:01 PM
I totally remember that Cap team getting jobbed by the selection committee.

I think part of the problem when it comes to getting 2 teams in, at least in basketball, has to do with the competitiveness of the league.  When you look at the NCAC, Witt and Wooster might pin a loss on one another, but outside of that, there aren't many teams in the NCAC that put up much of a challenge.  But, in the OAC, there aren't many teams you can sleep on at all.  You have to be on your toes for every game, or else you might slip up. 

Just look at last season as an example.  ONU was the preseason pick to win the OAC.  They were ranked in the top 10 nationally early in the season and then they got into OAC play and fell apart and failed to make the NCAA's.  B-W was also considered a favorite and they failed to make the NCAA tournament as well.  And I think both of those teams could have probably done some damage in the tournament.  Heck, ONU knocked off Wooster who made it to Salem!

Other power basketball conferences that lose bids because of the competitiveness of the teams in their conferences are the CCIW and the WIAC.  Usually their OOC records are the best in the country in those 2 leagues, yet, they beat up on each other in league play and usually the conference champ is the only bid given out.  With the expanded field, things are getting a bit better, but even last year, there were a couple of teams from those respective leagues that were left out that many felt were stronger than some of the at large teams that were selected.

But, that's the nature of the beast.  Playing in a tough conference prepares you as your team readies for the post-season, but it also gives less room for error. 
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 15, 2007, 05:02:43 PM
Part of it also was the seven total Pool C bids that year.

Capital ended the 2001-02 season No. 8 in the D3hoops.com Top 25.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on May 17, 2007, 09:07:29 PM
Marietta and Otterbein took the field for the 11th time in the past 2 seasons.  This time Marietta was victorious 4-0, getting a complete game shutout from TJ Knowlton!! 

Marietta has been consistent in the regional so far, only giving up 1 run in 18 innings.  They are now the lone team left in the regional with ZERO losses.

Otterbein will face Wooster tomorrow at noon in an elimination game, with the winner of that game facing Marietta at 7pm.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 17, 2007, 09:09:23 PM
Amazing job so far by this bunch of young guys. 2 wins to go to Appleton. A win I was hoping for. A three-hit shutout was beyond wildest dreams. Great job TJ and the Etta Express!
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on May 18, 2007, 08:59:22 PM
Marietta is getting another great pitching performance from it's young staff.  Nate Eschbaugh has held Wooster scoreless. 

End of 6:
WOO - 0
MAR - 6
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 18, 2007, 09:50:29 PM
So you're the one that ruined the shutout with your jinx! :)

Esch got a couple of balls up and lost command a little, but he and fellow frosh Tyler Penwell "keep 'er in the mowed place" for a 6-3 win to eliminate Wooster.

The only two #1 ranked teams this year in the ABCA poll were Wooster and Otterbein. Neither will make the final day of the regional and both lost games to Marietta.

There should be a moratorium on ranking Wooster #1 until they actually live up to it just once.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on May 18, 2007, 09:52:54 PM
a HUGE win for the Etta Express as they defeat Wooster 6-3 behind a nother great pitching performace, this time from Nate Eschbaugh (7 IP, 3 runs).

You can't say enough about the young pitching staff this series.  27 innings and only 4 runs allowed.  

This is a staff that is pitching WITHOUT it's top 5 pitchers from last year's National Championship team!!

One more to go tomorrow.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 18, 2007, 10:02:57 PM
Quote from: mideastfan on May 18, 2007, 09:52:54 PM
a HUGE win for the Etta Express as they defeat Wooster 6-3 behind a nother great pitching performace, this time from Nate Eschbaugh (7 IP, 3 runs).

You can't say enough about the young pitching staff this series.  27 innings and only 4 runs allowed. 

This is a staff that is pitching WITHOUT it's top 5 pitchers from last year's National Championship team!!

One more to go tomorrow.

Not to mention two of their top five or six from this year. Kind of wondering what we do tomorrow as far as that goes. Maybe Penwell with a Justin Merryman ETA of the 7th?
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on May 21, 2007, 08:40:31 PM
GOOD LUCK ETTA EXPRESS.... DEFEND THAT TITLE!!! 
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 21, 2007, 10:17:42 PM
It sounds like Marietta has a tall order in their first CWS game. From following on D3 baseball pages, it looks like Chapman is loaded with quality arms. What their offense like? Seems like they won some low scoring games at regionals.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on May 22, 2007, 12:35:48 AM
Marietta had "Tall Orders" in regionals, but they got the job done.  The numbers they put up in regionals were pretty good if you compare it to what they have done all year.  The depth of the Etta's staff seems to be getting better with the return of some injured players.  Should be interesting
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 22, 2007, 07:38:30 AM
OACfan, maybe it didn't make myself clear. I was inquiring about Chapmans offensive abilities.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on May 22, 2007, 08:01:13 AM
Quote from: old scot on May 22, 2007, 07:38:30 AM
OACfan, maybe it didn't make myself clear. I was inquiring about Chapmans offensive abilities.

I'm not too sure about their offense, but they were held to only 3 runs last year in the series by Marietta's #3 and #4 guys.  The question is though will Marietta be able to score off of Drag, and if so, will it be enough to win.....I'm not sure.  I hate to count out my boys, but I agree with you, it will be a very Tall Order.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BigPoppa on May 22, 2007, 10:54:38 AM
Quote from: old scot on May 22, 2007, 07:38:30 AM
OACfan, maybe it didn't make myself clear. I was inquiring about Chapmans offensive abilities.

Chapman does not light it up with the bats, but they rely on their pitching... Drag and Kitchens are an amazing one-two punch. They have huge weaknesses in the bullpen... other than Yacko who closes. Drag is 15-0 on the season, but he has numbers that are behind those of their #2, Kitchens.

Offensively, the play small ball and will bunt at any time. Anytime they get the leadoff man on in an inning, expect them to try to execute something. They run a bit, bunt a lot and hit and run quite often as well.

I think Marietta/Chapman will be the best Day 1 game.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 22, 2007, 11:00:07 AM
Question for mideastfan or Spence.  Was it Baumler who started the season as Marietta's #1 but has been injured?  And, if so, wasn't he getting close to being able to contribute again?  Will he be available to them at the CWS?  That would greatly improve Etta's pitching depth if he were able to return.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on May 22, 2007, 11:01:57 AM
Well look what happened when Marietta faced one of, if not the most, potent offense in the country in Wooster. (6 hits, 3 runs) With the #3 on the hill.  Wooster was 8th in the country in scoring with 9.4 runs per game.  But then again thats another story there why wooster cant win the big one
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 22, 2007, 11:51:34 AM
Thanks for the info BigPoppa. Sounds like Chapman tries to take advantage of every baserunner.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on May 22, 2007, 12:54:51 PM
Two very similar styles of play will be going at it in round one here.  Looks like the Hands down best match up of round one.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on May 22, 2007, 01:21:43 PM
Quote from: ScotsFan on May 22, 2007, 11:00:07 AM
Question for mideastfan or Spence.  Was it Baumler who started the season as Marietta's #1 but has been injured?  And, if so, wasn't he getting close to being able to contribute again?  Will he be available to them at the CWS?  That would greatly improve Etta's pitching depth if he were able to return.

Correct, Baumler was this year's ACE and he has been injured off and on through most of the year.  He hasn't contributed for the last month, and I'm not sure of his status for the World Series (he wasn't available in the regionals). 
Baumler was the only top 5 pitcher returning from last year's squad also, so basically the team has been succeeding this year wihtout it's top 5 from the Championship team of a year ago....pretty good job by the Marietta coaching staff!
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 22, 2007, 03:29:16 PM
Quote from: oacfan on May 22, 2007, 11:01:57 AM
Well look what happened when Marietta faced one of, if not the most, potent offense in the country in Wooster. (6 hits, 3 runs) With the #3 on the hill.  Wooster was 8th in the country in scoring with 9.4 runs per game.  But then again thats another story there why wooster cant win the big one
Marietta wasn't the only team to quiet the Wooster bats in this year's regional.  They only scored 11 runs in their 4 games played.  They didn't even match their average runs per game in their 1st 3 games played.  We touched on this over on the NCAC board.  I have come to the conclusion that Coach Pettorini does not spend nearly enough time coaching the fundamentals which include situational hitting, moving baserunners along and bunting, and also defense.  They pound the defensless NCAC to oblivion year after year mashing their way through the conference weaklings.  But, when it comes time to face teams that can acutally pitch and field, Wooster is like a deer in headlights!  Wooster needs to take a serious look at how teams like Marietta and Chapman and SUNY Cortland end up having success year after year in post season play.  It is because they are very very fundamentally sound baseball teams.  Wooster can get by without being fundamentally sound against the majority of the NCAC.  But, as their poor showings in the past 2 Mideast Regional tournaments can attest, they have major work to do to become a fundamentally sound ballclub all around!

Quote from: oacfan on May 22, 2007, 12:54:51 PM
Two very similar styles of play will be going at it in round one here.  Looks like the Hands down best match up of round one.
I totally agree.  It's unfortunate that 2 of the teams I would consider favorites in this field are meeting right off the bat.  I think this is by far the best match-up of the 1st round.  Too bad that one of these teams is going to find themselves in a hole after the 1st game.  Just to let you all know, I'll be pulling for the 'Etta Express!
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on May 22, 2007, 05:16:25 PM
Yes Rumor is Baulmler is back with the Etta Express for the world series but only as a reliever, he is taking secondbaseman Ryan Belangers spot.  The Etta went to regionals one person shy on their roster because Belanger was a late scratch.
Title: Re: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 23, 2007, 09:41:38 AM
Hopefully both Baumler and Belanger will be back with the club this weekend. Given the nature of Belanger's absence, I wouldn't think that Baumler's addition would necessarily mean Belanger's subtraction.

If one or neither can go, we'll go with what we've got.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on January 21, 2008, 11:46:51 PM
how does the oac look this year?? predictions?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 22, 2008, 03:40:11 AM
Quote from: oacfan on January 21, 2008, 11:46:51 PM
how does the oac look this year?? predictions?

Same song, different verse.

Marietta and Otterbein looking really good again, Heidelberg not looking quite up to that level pure talent-wise but always ends up right in the thick of it with them.

Hoping all 3 of them make the NCAAs, though that's a longshot.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan on January 24, 2008, 05:54:17 PM
Football season is coming to an end and I'm ready for spring.  Can't wait to see the MC boys in Texas, should be some great competition this year!

The games with TX Wesleyan have become somewhat of a nice little rivalry for both schools.....those are the ones I'll be watching!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on January 30, 2008, 02:04:11 PM
Capital was pretty good last year.  Do they have a lot of returning starters?  What about their pitching?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 31, 2008, 10:17:50 PM
Quote from: a spectator on January 30, 2008, 02:04:11 PM
Capital was pretty good last year.  Do they have a lot of returning starters?  What about their pitching?

Sure would be nice if they had a roster up to answer this question.

But I think their all-region guys and Holmberg were seniors last year, so unless they have some very good recruits, I'm guessing they'll struggle to break into that top 3.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on February 14, 2008, 08:59:18 AM
Capital's roster is now up.  Looks like they have quite a few players back.  Know anything about their pitching?  They may be in the top 4 or 5 in the league along with Marietta, Otterbein, Heidelberg.  How do Baldwin Wallace and John Carroll look this year?  Anyone know?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on February 14, 2008, 10:26:43 AM
Welcome spectator!

The Mideast Region preview should be out in a few days.

Good luck to the Crusaders, and tell your friends about D3baseball.com!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 15, 2008, 01:15:43 PM
Quote from: a spectator on February 14, 2008, 08:59:18 AM
Capital's roster is now up.  Looks like they have quite a few players back.  Know anything about their pitching?  They may be in the top 4 or 5 in the league along with Marietta, Otterbein, Heidelberg.  How do Baldwin Wallace and John Carroll look this year?  Anyone know?

You might know better than me the answer to what I think is a pretty important question. What happened to Nick Dewitt last year? Was he injured? He performed quite well against Marietta early in the conference season but then was hardly heard from again.

In limited time, he showed an ability to miss bats and get strikeouts that the rest of the staff just didn't. Uy was respectable as a freshman but his low strikeout number has me skeptical that he can make a big leap. Trainer and Brown are decent arms but I don't think are going to lead Capital to the next level in the OAC. I'm intrigued by what I read about Zach Ellashek. He played in a successful program in HS and had a lot of success.

How did Veenstra end up at Capital? Last I knew he was going to Ohio Dominican. Obviously that seems like a good recruit for them. The Florida kid Bartek may be a contributor as well. He wasn't a star down there, but was a decent player and in even the weaker part of Fla. that shows a little something.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on February 15, 2008, 07:36:06 PM
Spence,  what about John Carroll and Baldwin Wallace?  Mideast Region preview did not say much.  I was hoping for more detail. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 15, 2008, 07:49:41 PM
Quote from: a spectator on February 15, 2008, 07:36:06 PM
Spence,  what about John Carroll and Baldwin Wallace?  Mideast Region preview did not say much.  I was hoping for more detail. 

DAngit, was hoping you wouldn't ask :)

Don't know much at all about B-W. They have about a million FR, dunno if any of them are any good.

JCU has a couple decent looking prospects from John Carroll Prep (St. Iggy) and a kid that started on an undefeated team in Pittsburgh (West Allegheny) but other than that, I don't really know that much about them either.

It's always so hard to tell about newcomers in D-III until the season starts because there are so few standout high school players that go D-III.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on February 18, 2008, 09:47:57 AM
How about Wilmington?  I see the freshman pitcher they had last year, Bryce Deweese is not there - went to Wright State I think.  I think they also lost Jameson George - graduated.  They do have Brad Hatfield on their roster.  He was a grad of Washington Court House several years ago.  Don't know if he transferred from somewhere?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 19, 2008, 04:29:58 AM
Quote from: a spectator on February 18, 2008, 09:47:57 AM
How about Wilmington?  I see the freshman pitcher they had last year, Bryce Deweese is not there - went to Wright State I think.  I think they also lost Jameson George - graduated.  They do have Brad Hatfield on their roster.  He was a grad of Washington Court House several years ago.  Don't know if he transferred from somewhere?

Basically what I know is what I can google on most everyone. I live in SC, don't have a lot of inside info...just good at reading between the lines and projecting numbers. But unless some of the local recruits they have can shoulder a lot of weight in a hurry, they don't look to have a lot of pitching, even if Hatfield pans out. I could be wrong and they do hae some guys coming in from some pretty good programs (Adena and Zane Trace in particular).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on February 27, 2008, 02:57:49 PM
Best of luck to all teams in the OAC this weekend.  Looking forward to seeing scores and news.  Good Luck Etta Express in Georgia.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2008, 01:34:06 PM
Not sure anyone is out here, but Heidelberg at Marietta is postponed to tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2008, 04:53:59 PM
Spence,

Since you seem to basically be the entirety of the OAC baseball posters I figured you are the only person to pose this question to.  I am listening to the Etta/Berg DH on the radio (thanks for the heads up) and it got me thinking what a nice job Matt Palm has done with the Princes.  While they haven't won a pile of conference titles, they are consistently competitive.  And I am not talking about just over .500 competitive like the bulk of the conference.  I'm talking about competing for an OAC championship.  So my question is who has the best chance of emerging as the next Berg?  Obviously Otterbein has put together a very nice little run the last few years, so I guess I was thinking about that group of mid-pack squads that seem to bounce between 3rd-4th in one season and 7th-8th the next.  Can any of them become another Heidelberg, establish consistency and become a conference tourney regular?     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 23, 2008, 05:16:40 PM
I'll throw my 2 cents in, although Spence may or may not agree.

I would say Capital.  Spense may be able to give the reasons, or come up with another team, but it's pretty much Marietta, Otterbein, Heidelberg...and then everyone else.  But Capital has a chance to turn it's program around, which ws seen last year.


*****  By the way, Marietta took game one 3-2 over the Berg, and the bats are now alive and they are leading the second game 9-4.

Good start to OAC action for the Etta Express.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2008, 06:03:36 PM
Thanks mideastfan2.  Your 2 cents are much appreciated.  I didn't want to throw any names out, but Cap was my initial thought as well.  My only concern about Cap is that you already have a number of good programs in the Columbus area you will be competing for talent with.  Namely Otterbein, Ohio Wesleyan, Denison and Ohio Dominican.  All of those schools have solid to very good programs.  Also, do you know if Cap has moved their baseball field on campus?  When I was in school in the early 00's it was off campus in an area that can politely be described as not high rent.  Bexley is a very nice area, but that field was not in such an area (when Cap's coach tells you as a visitor to send 2 guys and take bats w/ you to chase foul balls that's probably not a good sign).

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2008, 06:25:28 PM
Etta ended up finishing them off 10-6 in that 2nd game. 

JCU swept Cap today as well.  7-6 (9 inn) and 5-0.  Any time you're not one of the top 3 and you can get a sweep that's a nice job.  Especially on the road.  Good start for the Streaks at 10-3.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2008, 06:45:33 PM
I answered my own question regarding Cap's field.  As soon as I saw "turn left on Main St." in the directions I started having flashbacks.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 23, 2008, 06:58:29 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2008, 06:03:36 PM
Thanks mideastfan2.  Your 2 cents are much appreciated.  I didn't want to throw any names out, but Cap was my initial thought as well.  My only concern about Cap is that you already have a number of good programs in the Columbus area you will be competing for talent with.  Namely Otterbein, Ohio Wesleyan, Denison and Ohio Dominican.  All of those schools have solid to very good programs.  Also, do you know if Cap has moved their baseball field on campus?  When I was in school in the early 00's it was off campus in an area that can politely be described as not high rent.  Bexley is a very nice area, but that field was not in such an area (when Cap's coach tells you as a visitor to send 2 guys and take bats w/ you to chase foul balls that's probably not a good sign).



the other school I would maybe throw out there (if they can get the right coach) is Wilmington.  If they can get a coach with ties to the Cincinnati area, and start recruiting out of there, they could turn that program around.  There is a lot of talent in Cincy, and many of those kids end up in the Columbus area, or walking on at UC, Miami, XU, or some other MAC schools.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 23, 2008, 08:20:18 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on March 23, 2008, 06:58:29 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2008, 06:03:36 PM
Thanks mideastfan2.  Your 2 cents are much appreciated.  I didn't want to throw any names out, but Cap was my initial thought as well.  My only concern about Cap is that you already have a number of good programs in the Columbus area you will be competing for talent with.  Namely Otterbein, Ohio Wesleyan, Denison and Ohio Dominican.  All of those schools have solid to very good programs.  Also, do you know if Cap has moved their baseball field on campus?  When I was in school in the early 00's it was off campus in an area that can politely be described as not high rent.  Bexley is a very nice area, but that field was not in such an area (when Cap's coach tells you as a visitor to send 2 guys and take bats w/ you to chase foul balls that's probably not a good sign).



the other school I would maybe throw out there (if they can get the right coach) is Wilmington.  If they can get a coach with ties to the Cincinnati area, and start recruiting out of there, they could turn that program around.  There is a lot of talent in Cincy, and many of those kids end up in the Columbus area, or walking on at UC, Miami, XU, or some other MAC schools.



I'm a little late but my answer would have been John Carroll (easy to say now). Good coach after Brewer built a foundation, renovated field, decent success of late.

There are a lot of really good players around Cincy and I wish MC could start getting some players from over there again. Remenowsky and some of the other Otterbein players are from over there as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2008, 09:10:48 PM
Thanks for the feedback.  I guess my thoughts are as follows, and please feel free to agree/disagree.  I'm just throwing these out since I have to be at work and this kills time.

Cap--My choice based mainly on their location and the apparent upward trend the last 3 yrs. 

JCU--My second choice based on a younger coach, quality facilities and the opportunity to tap the Parochial pipeline outside their immediate geographic location (see Sean McCarthy).  They are usually in the hunt for that 4th slot.  The question is how long do you give Thibeault to build it?  I believe he was hired while I was in school and that was 7 years ago.  I still think he can do it.

BW/MUC--I lumped these 2 together because they both have pretty good facilities, both are in NE Ohio and both pretty much bounce around .500 every year it seems.  Their Head Coaches are by all accounts great guys, but as long as both are in charge I don't see a sudden ascent to the top on the horizon based on past performance.   

Musky--No offense, but I think Gregg Thompson should have a job for life.  Being .500 at Musky is an accomplishment (unless it's softball).  I don't see how they can consistently be much more than that.

Wilmington--I will have to defer to you guys.  I don't know much about them at all.

ONU--Not sure what to think.  Their record the last few years is all I've seen and it's not good.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on March 24, 2008, 01:36:57 PM
I do know that the coach at ONU is new, 2007 his first year.  I believe he is from Indiana somewhere.  He is hungry and this year should be a better test from him as last year he had a late start as far as recruiting and inherited the previous coach's team.  We'll see, he seems to be pretty driven.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on March 24, 2008, 04:54:51 PM
I am new to this site and looking forward to a great spring baseball season in the OAC.  Do you know who the premier pitchers are in the league and what are the critical success factors to achieve good results?  I am sure command  is criticial, but do many of the kids have a lot of velocity and is that something that prevails in the OAC.  Just wandering and thanks for your time.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2008, 01:30:15 PM
Welcome aboard lhpdiggy.  To answer your question, I think most people would point (not surprisingly) to the top 3 teams when you're looking at the best returning pitchers.  Obviously Remenowsky is back for Ott and he was the Tekulve award winner last year.  Stevens is also back for Ott and he is a 2 time all-conference guy.  Paddock and McFarland are back for Heidelberg.  Paddock pitched very well at Etta on Sunday.  And like every year, Etta has the arms.  This year it's probably Knowlton, Eschbaugh and Merryman for them, but Spence is much better qualified to talk about that.

I think for the most part the top guys have good velocity.  Etta's top guys are usually bringing it pretty good every year.  But I think one thing I noticed is that with VERY few exceptions the top guys seem to have at least 2 good pitches (i.e. they're not just going to blow it by you all day w/ fastballs).  The example I always think of was a kid at JCU in the late 90's named John O'Rourke.  He had pretty good velocity, but what made him good was that he had a very good slider to go with it.  He had confidence in both and changed speeds effectively.  The fact that he could throw either one (and locate it) in any count made him very difficult to face.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on March 26, 2008, 09:45:59 PM
Thanks for the welcome....my wife and I attended our first OAC DH in brutal conditions....both teams played well considering the weather....having watched my son in pretty competitive leagues it is great to see the level of play in the OAC....very good athletes....it should be a great year.  I really look forward to the effort of the kids....no doubt they love the game.

Based on what I have seen so far...my bet is that defense will win the day this year...plus decent pitching...no surprise I'm sure for you folks that love baseball.

Take care and I look forward to sharing the news in the OAC

Thanks
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2008, 10:20:04 PM
Which DH did you take in lhpdiggy?  Regardless, enjoy the season.  My dad still talks about OAC baseball games and I graduated years ago.  He still misses those road trips.  Best of luck to your son and safe travels as you follow him. 

I guess the sayings "Good pitching beats good hitting" and "Defense doesn't slump" are around for a reason.  I recall back in the early 00's Heidelberg had a ridiculous line up.  They were top 5 in the nation in team batting average (something in the neighborhood of .375 as a team)...and I believe they finished 3rd in the OAC tourney.  Mount and Musky also had mashers and didn't even make the tourney most of those years.  I actually remember that Heidelberg and Mount tied that year 21-21!!  In baseball!!  I guess the point is that when the dust settles the reason teams are there at the end is good pitching.  And in Etta's case, superior depth of good pitching (oh, and usually a potent offense as well).     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 27, 2008, 10:20:09 AM
Congrats to Wooster on a nice win yesterday down in southeast Ohio.  Hats off to Marietta for making a game out of it as well!  I was listening in every other inning or so and when the Scots stretched their lead to 6-0  with Adam Samson yet to come on through 5 innings, I figured the game was as good as over.  My thought was that Samson would come in and pitcth the 6th and 7th and then Warren in the 8th and Miller in the 9th.  Instead, Samson came in and let Marietta right back in the ballgame with his 2nd shaky outing of the spring. 

I really can't figure Samson out.  He's been a very hot or cold pitcher this year.  Just to show what I mean, he's pitched a total of 25 innings this season and allowed 16 runs.  Twelve of those runs were allowed in just 5 innings of work.  He allowed 8 runs in 4 innings vs. UWSP and then yesterday he gave up 4 runs in just one inning.  That means in the other 20 innings pitched, Samson has only given up 4 runs?!

I happened to catch the pregame interview with Coach Pettorini and he mentioned something about a lot of the returning pitchers have lost velocity from where they were last year.  He didn't really expound on it very much at all either fwiw.  I know that Trapuzzano has been dealing with arm issues, but I haven't heard of any others on the Scot's pitching staff dealing with any injuries.  Right now, I'm just hoping that Samson can start to string together some solid outings to get some confidence back.  He was so lights out last year and that is not the case this year...

BTW, I agree with everyone in that Marietta will definately be around come post-season time.  I think the Pios definately garnered the rest of the OAC's attention with their sweep of Heide to open conference play that they are still, more than likely, the team to beat despite their slow start down south.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 27, 2008, 05:01:12 PM
Just so you guys know, Spence, who I actually respect as a baseball poster, was suspended from the boards by Pat Coleman for becoming a "troll" on the football page.  It had gotten ridiculous over there and he really gave Pat no choice.

It's a shame because he really was the most knowledgeable OAC baseball poster on here (despite his ties to Etta)  ;)

I hope some of the others can keep this board moving a little while he is gone.

BTW, I am a Cap guy, an ex-FB player, but both of my roomates were pitchers for Cap in the mid 1990's.  I still try to keep up with Cap sports as best I can (I just got out of the Army after 10 years as an officer on active duty, and am now doing the Natl Guard thing, but I live in Georgetown, KY), and I am a regular on the football board and occasionally post on the basketball board.  I have posted a couple of times on this board, but hope to follow baseball a bit more now that I have more time on my hands.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on March 27, 2008, 10:34:38 PM
Great game today at Wooster.  BW came through strong w/ the victory.  Luthman pitched a great game and the bats were solid for the Yellow Jackets.  It is great for the program and the OAC to beat a team that is #2 in D3.  It should be a great season for D3 Ohio baseball.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2008, 05:57:16 PM
Very nice win for the Jackets on the road.  Were you there lhpdiggy?  I was just wondering how Wooster's bats looked.  Obviously BW's pitching looked pretty good.  But based on the fact that neither side threw their front line guys I guess I was expecting a few more tallies for the Scots.     

p.s. As I read my post I want to make sure that no one thinks I'm taking anything away from Luthman by implying that Wooster just had an off day at the dish.  Any time you hold the Scots to 3 runs in 8 innings you pitched VERY well.  Excellent job by him.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on March 28, 2008, 10:11:00 PM
Yes, I was at the game.  No problem regarding the issue around front line pitchers...Luthman may very well be one....he is very athletic, tall and deceptive...I know he pitched through some pain in some previous outings this year.  The Scots have some very impressive athletes on their team...but pithing and very good defense ruled the day for the Jackets. 

BW is pretty young, they have beaten some good teams this year and have lost to some teams that they should have won handidly, but that is baseball.  We will see how things turn out.

I am optimistic
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2008, 11:18:56 AM
Thanks for the info JK.  I was wondering where Spence was.  I regularly lurk (and occasionally post) on the football board, but I started losing interest a little w/ the back and forth going on w/ him and the regulars.

lhpdiggy, I made the mistake of assuming (and we all know what happens when you assume).  I just remembered that Luthman wasn't one of the guys who got the ball against Musky so I assumed he wasn't one of the top 2.  But I didn't know they were that young, so as you pointed out he could very well end up as a front line guy for them.  Especially if he hasn't been 100% yet.  I couldn't help but smile at your comment about beating good teams and losing to teams you should beat.  My jr year we were young and that was the story of the season.  Which team was going to show up?  Never a dull moment though! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 29, 2008, 11:37:07 AM
Quote from: JK on March 27, 2008, 05:01:12 PM
Just so you guys know, Spence, who I actually respect as a baseball poster, was suspended from the boards by Pat Coleman for becoming a "troll" on the football page.  It had gotten ridiculous over there and he really gave Pat no choice.

It's a shame because he really was the most knowledgeable OAC baseball poster on here (despite his ties to Etta)  ;)
While he may have been the most knowledgeable OAC baseball poster, I, for one, am not shedding any tears upon hearing the news of him being suspended yet again.  It wasn't a matter of if Spence would be suspended again as it was a matter of when he would suspended again.  And quite frankly, I'm surprised he lasted this long between suspensions...

JK, I think many of us on the NCAC baseball page felt the same way you and your fellow OAC football posters felt about him over there which is why I am celebrating the news that Spence won't be joining us for a while... ;D

BTW, I'm glad to see some activity over here by some new faces not named Spence.  It's nice to talk baseball with others that don't have a vendetta or an ax to grind against Wooster. 

That was definitely a nice pitching performance by Luthman for B-W.  Wooster's offense had been better than expected so far this spring averaging almost 9 runs per game, but Luthman completely shut them down.  Good luck to the Jackets the rest of the way in the OAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2008, 12:27:22 PM
For anyone else stuck in the office today here are a few links to follow some of the OAC action today.  May have to copy and paste as I'm not good at the whole hyperlink thing (sorry):

Etta/Cap radio:  http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html

Ott/Wilm radio:  http://ocwobn.otterbein.edu/wobn.htm

Musky/Berg radio:  http://muskingum.edu/home/athletics/broadcast.html

MUC/ONU live stats:  http://www.onusports.com/livestats/index.html

BW/JCU is postponed until Sunday at 1pm per BW's web site.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2008, 03:15:17 PM
Game 1 finals so far....

Ott 8, Wilm 0--Good news for the Cards is they got a complete game 2 hitter.  Bad news for the OAC is that it was junior Jeremy Williams on the hill and not Remenowsky or Stevens.

MUC 6, ONU 3--MUC SS Craig Knott went 4 for 4 w/ a couple 2b's.  Good start for the freshman as he is hitting well over .400 so far.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 29, 2008, 06:01:13 PM
Marietta taking care of their OAC business again.  They improve to 4-0 in conference play.

Game one:

MC - 4
Captital - 1

Game two:

MC - 8
Captial - 1
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2008, 06:34:30 PM
Game 2 finals...

Ott 5, Wilm 2--Cards sweep behind another solid pitching performance this time from soph Michael Taylor.  The announcers mentioned he was clocked at 87 in FL.  Obviously this may be inflated (plus it's freezing in OH), but nonetheless that's nice zip.  

MUC 7, ONU 6--The Bears left 2 on after pushing across 3 in the bottom on the 9th without a base hit thanks in part to 2 of the Raiders' 7 errors.  Mariotti (7 IP, 3 ER) and Thomas (8 IP, 3 ER) were both solid in improving to 3-0 and Warner finished the day 5 for 7 w/ 6 RBI for MUC in the sweep.

Haven't heard anything on the Musky/Berg games...    
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2008, 06:40:00 PM
Spoke too soon...

Heidelberg swept Musky 4-0 and 4-0.  Paddock and McFarland both fire 3 hit shutouts. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 30, 2008, 01:58:29 PM
Marietta is playing Allegheny today in a double header. 

Marietta wins game one 9-4.  They are really starting tom come around both on the mound and at the plate.  Their defesne has been solid the last 2 weeks as well.

Game two coming up. 

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 30, 2008, 04:18:41 PM
The tough luck loser in game two for the Etta Express is Joe Pitrone.  He had 13k's in a complete game 4-2 loss to the Gators.

Marietta splits with Allegheny to bring their season recrod to 7-11 (4-0 in the OAC).  Marietta's pitching is looking great after brushing off the rust in the southern trip.

Next up, at Denison on Wed night.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2008, 07:59:07 PM
Finals from today (make up of 3/25 games)....

MUC 10, Wilm 7
MUC 9, Wil 4

Tough to play back-to-back conference DH.  A little taste of the NCAC style for these two.  Throw in the fact that each had one long trip and this was a LONG weekend for these two teams.  Of course, Mount came out of it 4-0 so I'm sure it was much more fun for them than the Quakers (0-4). 

Sweeping other mid-pack teams is huge so this could have been a big weekend for the Raiders.  Unfortunately in the OAC you're never certain who exactly the other mid-pack teams are from year to year...   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2008, 08:14:59 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on March 30, 2008, 04:18:41 PM
The tough luck loser in game two for the Etta Express is Joe Pitrone.  He had 13k's in a complete game 4-2 loss to the Gators.

Marietta splits with Allegheny to bring their season recrod to 7-11 (4-0 in the OAC).  Marietta's pitching is looking great after brushing off the rust in the southern trip.

Next up, at Denison on Wed night.

Nice outing by the soph.  It's just a never ending line of quality arms at Etta.  I've never seen any of their current kids pitch.  Are they cut from the same cloth as the top guys in the past?  Tough shoes to fill depending on who you compare them to...   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 30, 2008, 09:10:47 PM
I've seen most of them throw and I would say that Knowlton is close to a #1, and then Merryman, Eschbaugh, Stewart, Baumler, Pitrone are all in the #2 or #3 range.  They are all quality arms that can have a great day at any given point, but none are dominating #1's like in the past with Davies, Thomas, Bradley, Buirley, Desalvo, Eisenberg, Demark.

A major bonus though is that Knowlton, Merryman, Eschbaugh, and Baumler have all played a major role in past Regional and World Series teams.  That experience is nice to have.  If they can put together a few great outings in a row come tournament time though, they will be tough to beat....really tough to beat.  Then again, Otterbein has 4 good arms as well (and Remenowski is as good as they come in the OAC).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 30, 2008, 09:54:33 PM
Capital, thus far, looks to be in the running for biggest disappointment of the OAC.

With the season they had last year and most of the pieces returning, including the last 2 OAC batting champs, it looked like they would continue the rise, but this season has really been rough.

We'll see if they can turn it around.  Needs to be soon, though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2008, 10:05:25 PM
JK,

I'll take the blame for that.  If you go back a couple pages I picked Capital as the team with the best chance to make the jump up to consistent OAC tourney participant.  I jinxed them!  (I think mideastfan2 picked them as well, so maybe it was him!)

That being said, I wouldn't panic yet because 2 of those losses were to Marietta.  I figured they would be 1-3 right now.  For the most part the teams they will be competing with to be in the top 4 are likely going to be swept by Etta also so it's almost a wash.  The sweep by JCU stings, but if they can split w/ Berg or Otterbein then they're right back where they need to be. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 31, 2008, 08:42:43 AM
Yeah, I agree with you, and I still think they are up and coming as a program.  However, getting to the OAC tourney is one thing, but to REALLY "take the next step" Cap needs to start being above .500 every year.  Last season, though they made it to the championship series of the OAC tourney, they still finished 20-21.

Thus far this season, that is what I am most disappointed in.  With the OAC being so competitive and doubleheader splits occurring often, you need to come into league play with a winning record to have a reasonable chance to finish above .500.  Cap hasn't done that this year.  They may, as you say, quickly find themselves back to where they were a season ago in league play, but overall, it still looks like .500 or below again.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2008, 12:36:33 PM
I absolutely agree with that, JK.  If they wanted to have any shot at a winning record they almost had to play well out of the gate.  As you said, for the second tier teams the split is so common that you're probably going to be happy finishing 10-8 (or if you're lucky, 11-7).  Tough to dig out of a hole when 2 games over .500 would be a good run in conference. 

Of course I suppose I would always rather finish 20-21 w/ a nice OAC tourney run than finish w/ a winning record but 3-15 in conference (see Muskingum).   

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2008, 01:16:51 PM
Quote from: JK on March 31, 2008, 08:42:43 AM
However, getting to the OAC tourney is one thing, but to REALLY "take the next step" Cap needs to start being above .500 every year. 

Of course I forgot to mention the one thing I wanted to.  I think with the emergence of Otterbein and Heidelberg as regular contenders, making the tourney is a much bigger accomplishment than it used to be.  That is going to be an absolute dog fight for the 4th slot. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on April 04, 2008, 10:14:54 PM
Looks like another OAC team beat Wooster and has a few Scots fans upset.  Relax Wooster, you guys will be fine.  Good weekend coming up...lets hope its a tight race to the finish.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on April 04, 2008, 10:27:35 PM
My bad...I heard so much bad news from Scots fans I thought they lost...hope springs eternal...especially w/ the record you folks have.  The kids read this stuff so support them and let have an Ohio team go all the way this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 05, 2008, 03:33:52 PM
Marietta wins game one versus John Carroll 1-0. TJ Knowlton pitched a complete game shut-out to improve to 3-0 in his OAC starts (all have been complete games).

Marietta improves to 5-0, while JC drops to 3-2 in OAC play.   Game two will be starting shortly.

The Heidelberg vs Otterbein games have been pushed to SUnday b/c of weather.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2008, 07:10:00 PM
I'll be honest, when Mount swept ONU last weekend on the road I thought it may be another long season in Ada.  But then the Bears go to Berea and sweep BW today 8-1 and 8-5.  I guess the only thing you can say is that's the OAC!  ONU is now an even 2-2 in conference play while BW slips to 2-4.   

Boy, TJ Knowlton seems to be turning it up a notch each time out for the Pios.

To piggyback on mideastfan2's updates...Wilm/Musk is postponed to Sunday and Cap/MUC was pushed back to 3pm today at Munson so no news yet. 

 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 06, 2008, 09:10:34 AM
John Carroll took game two against Marietta; while Mount Union stayed hot and swept Capital. 

Otterbein/Heidelberg and Muskingum/Wilmington need to be played today.

As of right now. the OAC standings are as follows:

Mount Union            6-0
Otterbein                 2-0
Marietta                   5-1
John Carroll              4-2
Heidelberg               2-2
Ohio Northern          2-2
Baldwin-Wallace      2-4
Muskingum              1-3
Wilmington              0-4
Capital                    0-6

The games between Otterbein/Heidelberg today are pretty big.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2008, 12:56:21 PM
You're right mideastfan2, that Otterbein/Heidelberg DH is pretty big.  I don't want to say that the Berg needs at least a split, but given how MUC and JCU have looked thus far I wouldn't want to be swept to say the least.

JCU only gave up 2 runs on the day.  That would scare me a little if I'm the rest of the OAC because that doesn't happen often against Marietta.

I have to admit that I never suspected a start like this coming from Mount.  I took a quick peek at their stats this morning and their top 6 in the order are hitting a collective .372.  And their top 3 starters are a combined 11-0 w/ a 2.51 ERA.  No wonder they're 6-0 thus far. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2008, 03:09:17 PM
Game 1 final...

Heidelberg 7
Otterbein 4

I listened to this one and the first 5 innings were pretty much what you'd expect from a Remenowsky vs. Paddock game...not much offense.  The Cards had some minor threats early, but the Berg wasn't mounting much of anything (Remenowsky was perfect through 4).  The Berg had a huge 6th when they took a 6-1 lead started by Wentworth's 2b plating the go ahead run. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 06, 2008, 04:42:32 PM
^^^^ didn't think Otterbein would lose with Rem on the mound this year in the OAC, but then again every team has seen him so much since his Freshman year...same with Stevens.

just checked, and in game two Heidelberg leads 5-2 after 5 innings.  This would be a big sweep for the Burg, especially on the road against 2 of the top pitchers in the conferecne...there's still a lot of game left though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 06, 2008, 06:12:56 PM
Heidelberg holds on for the sweep....that makes the OAC standings pretty tight for the top 4 spots:

Mount Union 6-0
Marietta 5-1
Heidelberg 4-2
John carroll 4-2
Otterbein 2-2
Ohio Northern 2-2

Baldwin Wallace 2-4
Musk, Wilm, Cap (safe to say they are all out of it already)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2008, 06:26:19 PM
It may be too early to tell, but there's a chance that a truly good baseball team is going to finish 5th.  Anyone who follows this conference knows there have been years where the 4th team in the tourney was above average at best.  That certainly doesn't seem to be the case this year.  Hopefully this will result in an exciting regular season finish and tourney.

p.s.  With road trips to Marietta Wed. and Heidelberg Sat. we are about to find out what Mount is made of.  Big week for them if they want to make a statement.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2008, 08:31:03 PM
Finals from New Concord:

Musky 14, Wilm 0
Wilm 12, Musky 9

The Muskies are now 2-4 in the OAC and Wilmington is 1-5, so as mideastfan2 said...pretty much out of it.

Musky catcher Brock Whiteman had a great day going 7 for 11 w/ 5 doubles and 7 RBI.  Wow.  Haven't looked at many other box scores, but that looks like OAC hitter of the week numbers to me.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 06, 2008, 09:58:19 PM
^^^^ sounds like a great day for the Musky catcher.

Muskingum has always been a great hitter's park.  I remember back in '99 when we (Marietta) played there and set a record with 11 doubles in the first game of the double-header (plus 2 HR's), and had 5 more extra-base hits in game two.  A total of 37 runs on the day, with 18 extra base hits.  That was fun.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2008, 06:19:29 PM
So far today...

Wilmington 2, ONU 1
Wilmington 8, ONU 5

Who knows what to make of this.  I don't know what to think of ONU right now.  Sweep at BW.  Get swept by Wilm at home?   

Mount Union 4, Marietta 1

I said this would be the week for MUC to make a statement and this is obviously a good step.  Mariotti goes the distance moving to 5-0.  Knowlton drops to 5-2.  Appeared to pitch very well every inning but 1.   

Heidelberg 5, Capital 1

Poor Cap needs to get a W before JK yells at mideastfan2 and I for picking them to break out!  He's an army guy...I don't need that kind of trouble!

BW/Ott and Musky/JCU were both PPD.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 09, 2008, 08:19:50 PM
big win in game one for Mount Union over Marietta.

The Etta Express is bouncing back nicely, leading game two 11-2 after 5 innings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2008, 09:37:32 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 09, 2008, 08:19:50 PM
The Etta Express is bouncing back nicely, leading game two 11-2 after 5 innings.

The Pios kicked a field goal and won 14-2.  Cimino drove in 7 for Etta and Merryman was solid.   

Heidelberg ended up sweeping Capital by a 5-3 count in the second game.  Wentworth finished 6 for 8 on the day for Berg.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bronko7 on April 10, 2008, 11:38:30 AM
Does anyone want to take a crack at a top 5 in this region? It will be tough to rank them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on April 10, 2008, 04:54:57 PM
Marietta
Heidelberg
Otterbein
John Carroll
Mount Union
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2008, 05:47:41 PM
Quote from: BRONKO7 on April 10, 2008, 11:38:30 AM
Does anyone want to take a crack at a top 5 in this region? It will be tough to rank them.

Region or conference?  Not that either one is easy...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 10, 2008, 05:55:36 PM
Otterbein drops a pair to BW 1-0 and 7-2

I'm surprised to say the least

p.s. Hopefully this is the first of many posts on here
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2008, 06:07:30 PM
Welcome aboard fundamentalswin!  We need more posters around here.

I was a little taken back by that BW/Ott result as well.  It seems to me that there is more quality pitching in the league right now than I remember in the past.  Maybe not the top tier raw talent (I haven't seen any games so I can't say), but from box scores and stats it seems there are a lot of quality starts every week.   

The other make up..
JCU 8, Musky 5
JCU 11, Musky 2

The Streaks are in that 6-2 log jam for 2nd right now.  
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on April 10, 2008, 10:05:04 PM
2 great games today at Berea.  Great pitching by both teams.  The 1st game lasted 1hr 20min's...and the 2nd was the same pace until the 8th.  Hopefully the Jacket's will build on this big day. 

While I am new to this board it is good to see the interest from others.  Lets keep it going.

BW faces Capitol on Saturday and I have to think they are better than there record right now....good luck to all...I wish the OAC conference stats were updated in real time...it is fun to follow.  Does anyone know a quick way to get the scores?

Take care
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2008, 11:51:43 PM
How was that Williams kid that threw game 1 for Otterbein, lhpdiggy?  He has sick numbers (ERA below 1). 

I'll tell you what is NOT the quickest way to get scores...the OAC web site.  I usually go to the school's site (some are quicker than others to get things posted and you'll quickly figure out which).  If anyone has a better option I would love to hear it also.  That being said, this board is a decent bet since there are several people that are pretty good about posting scores. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 11, 2008, 09:10:21 PM
the OAC standings as of April 11th:

Mount Union (7-1)
Marietta (6-2)
Heidelberg (6-2)
John Carroll (6-2)
Baldwin-Wallace (4-4)
Wilmington (3-5)
Otterbein (2-4)
Ohio Northern (2-4)
Muskingum (2-6)
Capital (0-8)


this weekend's matchups:

Mount Union at Heidelberg, 1p.m.
John Carroll at Ohio Northern, 1p.m.
Marietta at Wilmington, 1p.m.
Baldwin-Wallace at Capital, 1p.m.
Otterbein at Muskingum, 1p.m.

feel free to update the games as the day goes along....should be a big OAC weekend, with some upsets over the last few weeks.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2008, 09:02:27 AM
Mount at Heidelberg is PPD until Sunday.  This is obviously the big match up of the weekend.  As was the case at Marietta Wednesday, I feel like a split would be a good day for Mount. 

I would say that it's pretty safe to think that Otterbein and Marietta will take care of business today.  I would have thrown JCU in that statement as well, but I'm scared which ONU squad will show up.  If it's the one that got swept at home by Wilmington, then I would feel confident.  If it's the one that swept BW on the road, then I'm not so confident.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2008, 11:50:23 AM
More weather issues...

BW/Cap PPD until Monday
JCU/ONU PPD until Sunday
Marietta/Wilm PPD until Sunday
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on April 12, 2008, 05:28:24 PM
Dr Acula,

The Williams kid pitched lights out.  Very good control, and had the kids on there heals for the most part.  He was the most impressive pitcher BW saw that day in my opinion.  3H, 5SO and not a walk in 6.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2008, 11:39:49 PM
The lone finals from Saturday...

Otterbein 13, Muskingum 1
Otterbein 7, Muskingum 4

Ott is now 4-4 in the OAC and Musky is 2-8.

Otterbein got complete games from Remenowsky and Stevens.  Mauck was 5 for 10 w/ 5 RBI for the Cards.  Good to see them get the bats going.  This is probably what Coach Powell expected to see more often...3 ER given up in a DH w/ nice offensive support from their lineup. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2008, 11:46:04 PM
Quote from: lhpdiggy on April 12, 2008, 05:28:24 PM
The Williams kid pitched lights out.  Very good control, and had the kids on there heals for the most part.  He was the most impressive pitcher BW saw that day in my opinion.  3H, 5SO and not a walk in 6.

Thanks lhpdiggy.  It will be impossible to replace Remenowsky and Stevens, but Williams, Taylor, etc. appear to be very talented.  The one thing I learned that always separated Marietta from the pack wasn't necessarily the pure talent of their pitchers (which was great), but it was the depth of quality pitching they had.  It seems like Otterbein is heading that direction.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 13, 2008, 08:51:31 AM
Marietta at Wilmington is postponed to Monday now.

This will give Marietta the opportunity to use Knowlton and Merryman on full rest, then have them ready again for Saturday against Otterbein.   One instance where the bad weather actually has a positive effect!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 13, 2008, 01:05:58 PM
Looks like Monday will be a busy day in the OAC.  All of the other DH scheduled for today have been PPD. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 14, 2008, 05:50:51 PM
Marietta sweeps Wilmington.

ONU and John Carroll split.

any word from Tifiin, on how the MUC/Heid games went???
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2008, 09:04:26 PM
Heidelberg sweeps Mount Union 5-4 (11) and 9-4.
BW sweeps Capital 5-3 and 5-4 (10).

Current standings:

Marietta 8-2
Heidelberg  8-2
JCU 7-3
Mount Union 7-3
BW 6-4
Otterbein 4-4
ONU 3-5
Wilmington 3-7
Musky 2-8
Capital 0-10
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 14, 2008, 09:12:46 PM
wow...big sweep for the Berg.  They are having a great year, and if they can't win the OAC, they could be in line for a Pool C tournament bid.

That sweep helps out Marietta as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2008, 09:23:38 PM
Berg is definitely playing well.  Mount hung 4 on Paddock in the 1st and then got shut out for the last 10 innings! 

I originally had Heidelberg on top of the standings, but due to their sweep at the hands of the Pioneers I had to switch them for the sake of accuracy...no matter how much it pains me.    :)

A couple more big DH tomorrow.  BW @ MUC and JCU @ Ott. 

Anyone want to take a stab at an OAC tourney prediction?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 14, 2008, 11:37:57 PM
Mount got out managed all day today and it reflected in the results... two losses
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ryder16 on April 15, 2008, 01:06:18 PM
mount
'berg
etta
BW

Etta wins on the strength( and depth) of their pitching
and I think the runner-up ( H-Berg) will get a pool C and prob. a rematch(or 2) in the regional finals
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2008, 01:56:04 PM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on April 14, 2008, 11:37:57 PM
Mount got out managed all day today and it reflected in the results... two losses

Can't say that I'm shocked.  Palm is a good coach.  Were you there fundamentalswin?  Just wondering if there were specific incidents that bothered you.  It's kind of difficult to gauge something like that from a box score so any first hand comments about any games are always appreciated.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2008, 02:01:27 PM
And I need to make my guess for the OAC tourney before any finals today...

Marietta (via tiebreaker)
Heidelberg
JCU
Mount

I'll tell you what, it was nearly impossible to pick only 2 out of JCU, MUC, Ott and BW.  I almost said Ott sweeps MUC the last day of the regular season to take the last spot, but that sweep at BW scared me a little.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 15, 2008, 02:46:20 PM
There were alot of things that bothered me... How about sending your ace back out in the 7th when he is over a hundred pitches and having no one ready to go once he got in trouble... In a 4-4 game in the bottom of the eleventh the leadoff man reaches and everyone in the park knew berg was going to bunt with the leadoff man... meanwhile mount has a lefty ready in the pen but instead of letting him face the two lefties at the top of bergs order he leaves the right hander... sac bunt, then a double... game over... and the guy left in the on deck circle was right handed.

Second game there were more pitching decision problems but I'll go into that if you really want...
The biggest issue was that how you do you take the offensive catalyst (henderson) out of the lineup after a 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI game one
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2008, 03:18:02 PM
I figured that was an issue for MUC.  You could piece together that Mariotti probably ran out of gas from the box score.  Not having anyone throwing is inexcusable even if he was cruising.

I don't recall Henderson.  Does he usually start?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2008, 03:20:39 PM
BW @ MUC is PPD.  Slated for Wed.

JCU just won the first game 8-7 over Otterbein. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 15, 2008, 05:18:29 PM
Marietta won the first game at Musky 10-3.

They are leading the second game 6-5 in the 7th inning.

A sweep today would be HUGE for the standgins, with Heidelberg already dropping a game to ONU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on April 15, 2008, 05:39:06 PM
Revisiting what I said a couple of weeks ago...

Capital, by far, is the biggest disappointment in the Conference this year.

Now 0 and freaking 10 after the sweep by the flaming piles (BW for you uninitiated folks), what looked like a promising season based on the finish last season and the early spring results has gone away.

Rough times at the alma mater.  What happened?!?!?!?!  Did the fact that they had to go to Chillicothe to play "home" games early in the season since Clowson was under water hurt them?  Can they not get any timely hitting this year?  Anyone seen them play?  The box scores are all over the place... blowing leads, rallys that fall short, I can't figure it out.

That other Columbus school, the hated Otters, also have to be in the running for biggest disappointment as well.  Given that they have one of, if not the best, pitchers in D3 in Remenowski and where they were predicted to finish, to be at 4-4 in OAC play right now has to be a bit of cause for concern.  However, unlike Cap, if the Otters get hot, they can still get in the tourney.  Cap is already out of it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 15, 2008, 06:06:43 PM
Marietta completes the sweep, winning game two 9-6.  The bats have come alive the last few days (that's what playing at Wilmington and Muskingum will do for ya - hitter's parks), and the pitching is staying consistent.....just in time for a late April - early May push.  Marietta is back to .500 on the season (14-14) for the first time since March 1st when they were 1-1; hard to believe.

They now stand alone at the top of the OAC with a 10-2 record!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on April 16, 2008, 04:27:50 PM
Any word yet on a BW-Mt. union score from the first game today?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 16, 2008, 10:05:07 PM
they split today and scored a ton of runs in both games.  looks like both teams were hurting for pitching.

That makes the current OAC standings:

Marietta (10-2)
Heidelberg (9-3)
John carroll (8-4)
Mount Union (8-4)
Baldwin Wallace (7-5)
Otterbein (5-5)
Ohio Northern (4-6)

others are out of it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2008, 10:42:51 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 16, 2008, 10:05:07 PM
they split today and scored a ton of runs in both games.  looks like both teams were hurting for pitching.

BW beat MUC 25-17?!?!  I would say that's a football score, but most years those two don't score that much on the gridiron against each other! 

p.s. I enjoyed the fact that BW only used 4 pitchers all day.  They made a lot of errors, but still 30 runs is 30 runs.  I've had days like that and it takes a lot to swallow your pride and eat innings when you're struggling simply because you know it's best for the team.  I applaud that.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 18, 2008, 09:52:38 AM
How is Marietta getting it done? Second to last in the conference in BA and ERA. I guess the pitching staff is getting timely strikeouts as well as the offense taking advantage of walks and timely hitting. Their defense seems to be pretty solid.
I haven't checked the remaining OAC schedule but, it looks like it should be an exciting finish to the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 18, 2008, 05:29:50 PM
not sure what the Conference stats are compared to the overall stats, but I'm guesing they are night and day for Marietta.  Through their first 11 games (southern trip), the pitching staff had an ERA of over 8.50.  Since then it's been a TON better.  Same with the bats.  They were hitting close to .225 after 11 games, but it's gotten a lot better since they've been up north.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 18, 2008, 08:44:47 PM
Current OAC standings:

Marietta (10-2)
Heidelberg (9-3)
Mount Union (8-4)
John Carroll (8-4)
Baldwin-Wallace (7-5)
Otterbein (5-5)
Ohio Northern (4-6)
Wilmington, Muskingum, Capital (all out of it)


Matchups for 4/19/08:

Heidelberg at Baldwin-Wallace, 1p.m.
Muskingum at Mount Union, 1p.m.
Wilmington at John Carroll, 1p.m.
Ohio Northern at Capital, 1p.m.
Otterbein at Marietta, 1p.m.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 19, 2008, 03:24:00 PM
Otterbein takes game one from Marietta 8-5.  The game was back and forth until the 7th as Marietta led 4-3, but Otterbein scored 5 unearned runs on a few costly Marietta errors, a strange reversed OUT call by the umpire at first base, and a very wierd inside the park 3-run homerun (Marietta's left fielder hit the wall and didn't throw the ball in).  To say the wheels came off would be short-changing what happenned...very strange inning after a GREAT first 6 innings; what you would expect in your typical Mar-Ott matchup.

Game two will begin shortly.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 19, 2008, 04:36:20 PM
Otterbein is carrying the momentum from the 7th inning of game one into the nightcap.....they lead 15-0 after 3 innings.  They brought the bats today!!!

This sweep will help them get right back into that fourth place spot for tournament play.


In other games:

Heidelberg took game one against B-W.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 19, 2008, 07:11:38 PM
the 2nd game with Mar/Ott has been pretty crazy.  Otterbein jumped out to a 15-0 lead after 3 innings....Marietta came back to score 15 runs in the last 6 innings but it wasn't quite enough, as they dropped the 2nd game 19-15 in the rain.

Between the wierd 7th inning in game one, all the rain, and all the scoring in game two...it was a very strange day at Schaly Stadium.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 19, 2008, 07:34:31 PM
Otterbein swept Marietta

Heidelberg swept B-W

Muskingum swept Mount Union (kinda surprising)

John Carroll swept Wimington

ONU and Captial postponed to Sunday

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 20, 2008, 01:05:01 PM
Its never surprising when the team that wants it more sweeps a lifeless unfocused team... things might end up terribly disasterous for MUC
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ryder16 on April 20, 2008, 11:50:36 PM
after this weekend , anyone wanna revise their picks for the OAC tournament... I am thinking I might !
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 21, 2008, 08:36:04 AM
Marietta, Heidelberg, Otterbein (those 3 like always).....and John Carroll
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on April 21, 2008, 09:09:16 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 21, 2008, 08:36:04 AM
Marietta, Heidelberg, Otterbein (those 3 like always).....and John Carroll
Those look like the four I would favor at this point as well.  Amazing what a difference a weekend makes.  Just last week, there was a lot of speculation that Ott might not even make the OAC Tournament.  And why not with a DH at Marietta looming for them.  So, what do the Otters do?  They go and sweep the 'Etta Express.  And with MUC and B-W getting swept, they are once again in the tournamen picture. 

That's the OAC for ya'!  :)

So, Heide is all alone in 1st now after their sweep of B-W.  They are followed by Marietta and JCU who are 1 game back.  And Ott is now alone in 4th.

It should be fun to see how many more changes we have at the top as the regular season winds down.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 21, 2008, 09:47:57 AM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on April 20, 2008, 01:05:01 PM
Its never surprising when the team that wants it more sweeps a lifeless unfocused team... things might end up terribly disasterous for MUC

Talk about a back breaker to my tournament prediction.  Honestly, how does this happen?  I know it's baseball, that's why they play the games and all those other cliches.  But how do you score 30 runs in a DH and then 3 days later put up 3 against Musky?  When I was looking at the remaining schedule to make my picks I remember thinking "Musky basically has 3 guys hitting over .300 and their top 2 pitchers have ERA's around 5.  At worst a split for MUC and that would be a bad day."   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 21, 2008, 06:26:35 PM
Can Northern capture the 4 seed? If I read the schedule correctly they have  a DH with Cap and Etta. A sweep would get them in?

I guess Etta answered my own question over the weekend. It sounds like their defense let them down in the first game against Otterbein. They gave them extra outs and it came back to hurt them.
The second game seems like their  ERA is true but, give credit their team for not packing it in after being down 14 or 15 to nothing. The best thing about baseball is you have to get 27 outs before the game is over.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 21, 2008, 07:49:21 PM
Quote from: old scot on April 21, 2008, 06:26:35 PM
Can Northern capture the 4 seed? If I read the schedule correctly they have  a DH with Cap and Etta. A sweep would get them in?

I guess Etta answered my own question over the weekend. It sounds like their defense let them down in the first game against Otterbein. They gave them extra outs and it came back to hurt them.
The second game seems like their  ERA is true but, give credit their team for not packing it in after being down 14 or 15 to nothing. The best thing about baseball is you have to get 27 outs before the game is over.

Ohio Northern needs A LOT of help.  They have doubelheaders with CAP, MUSKY, and on the road against OTT and MARIETTA.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 24, 2008, 02:03:02 PM
Does anyone have any thoughts on who the front runners are for the Special Awards?  I'll throw in my 2 cents...

Rafeld:  1) Whiteman, Musky 2) Lash, Heid 
Tekulve:  1) Evanko, JCU 2) Remenowsky, Ott
Schaly:  1) Thibeault, JCU 2) Palm, Heid

I will say that I think Remenowsky has a better chance of actually winning the Tekulve, but I think Evanko deserves to win it.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on April 24, 2008, 10:23:33 PM
Evanko deserves it for sure
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 25, 2008, 03:51:07 PM
It seems like the JCU/Mount DH tomorrow will be the one to keep an eye on.  If MUC has any hopes of making the OAC tourney they need at least a split (and even then they would have to sweep Ott).  Unfortunately they come in having lost 8 of 9 while JCU is riding a 5 game winning streak.   

With Otterbein playing Cap anything could happen, but I'm not counting on it.  If I'm MUC or BW I'm expecting a sweep in Bexley so I better take care of business tomorrow.

With Etta sitting a game back I think they need a sweep at BW to keep realistic hopes of hosting alive (Heid's got Wilm).  Heid closes w/ JCU, so no easy task.  Then again, neither is sweeping at BW.  Should be fun.   
 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 26, 2008, 03:33:26 PM
Marietta takes game one at Baldwin-Wallace 5-4.  Game two is under way.


*** oy yeah, and the Chiefs are on the clock with the 5 pick in the NFL draft.....I love draft day!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 26, 2008, 05:48:25 PM
Otterbein SWEEPS Capital.

Marietta now leads game two over B-W 10-7 in the 8th.

any other OAC scores from today out there?????
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 26, 2008, 07:47:27 PM
Marietta swept B-W
Otterbein swept Cap
Heidelberg swept Wilm
Mount Union swept John Carroll (big sweep)

current standings:

Heidelberg (13-3)
Marietta (12-4)
Otterbein (11-5)
Mount Union (10-6)
John Carroll (10-6)

the fight for the four tournament spots will come down to next weekend's games. It's going to be good with JCU at Heid & Mount Union at OTT.  Marietta will host Ohio Northern.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 27, 2008, 12:10:07 PM
It is going to be a fun final week in the OAC... Mount finallly started playing with enthusiasm and they look like they looked about 3 weeks ago... If they can overcome some injuries and keep the enthusiasm I not only think they will make the tournament but will also have a chance to compete in the tournament.  If the enthusiasm is there this team can even play through their managerial issues
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 28, 2008, 11:15:47 AM
It absolutely is going to be a fun weekend in the OAC.  JCU and MUC battling for the last spot.  Heid and Etta battling for home field.  And the match ups couldn't have worked out better to set the stage for a great finish. 

 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 28, 2008, 11:38:36 AM
Here's a question of strategy for this weekend...

Mariotti is clearly MUC's ace.  He's 6-1 including wins at Etta and JCU.  His lone defeat was a 2-1 loss to Musky in which he went 6.1 allowing 1 ER.  Remenowsky is clearly Ott's ace and I think we all know what he's bringing to the mound.  If you're MUC's coach do you consider starting Mariotti in game 2?       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 28, 2008, 08:40:55 PM
I think that move is a no-brainer... Now with this move I am assuming that JCU isnt going to sweep Berg in the Peaceful Valley.  Berg is 9-2 at home this year and is competing for home field through the tournament.  If you have to win one game dont try and do it against the other ace.  MUC has some depth and otterbein has struggled at the plate during certain points in the year.  I look at it this way.  If MUC wins game one without mariotti on the mound then they are in a great position to sweep and move into the 3 spot for the tournament with mariotti on the mound game two.  If MUC loses game one then who else do you want on the mound if you NEED one win to get in.  I would want my ace out there giving me the best chance if I only had to win one game on the day.  Now if you are in the camp that believes that JCU will sweep Berg @ Peaceful valley then MUC's game plan is completely flawed
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 28, 2008, 08:54:05 PM
My opinion, and I've seen this situation many times.....throw your ACE in the short 7 inning game.  If you're going to steal a game on the road against the hottest team in the OAC, it's going to be the short game.   You need to be confident that your ACE is going to be just that, an ACE, and shut down Otterbein.  If your offense can't score a few runs off Remenowksi, then how are they going to score runs in the OAC tournament if they make it in??

Let it all hang out there and PLAY TO WIN one game; the first one.  If it doesn't work out, then your "depth" will come in handy in game two when you NEED to win to hopefully advance.  Never save your ACE in hopes that he comes through in a desperate situation, b/c if he doesn't, then you just gave away TWO games.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2008, 06:24:20 PM
I was hoping we would get differing opinions on this!  fundamentalswin, I absolutely agree that if you need to win 1 game to get in there's no other choice than Mariotti.  But FAR crazier things have happened this year than JCU sweeping Heidelberg so I feel like you have to assume the worst if you're MUC.  Based on that I would probably agree w/ mideastfan2 and stick with Mariotti in the short game.  By throwing him in game 2 you are all but removing the possibility of him throwing a complete game.  If he's my horse, I'm giving him the best chance to go the distance and carry us into the tourney.  Even if it is against Remenowsky (gulp).  I think it's actually Otterbein's depth that will be the issue in game 2.  With Stevens (who just threw 9 inn against Cap) and Williams, Taylor, etc. they have A LOT of quality arms to throw at you over 9 innings.  I'm not as familiar with MUC's staff beyond that I know that Thomas and Irwin have been solid.  I'm guessing those will be the main guys we will see.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 30, 2008, 11:49:00 AM
I guess I can see that side of the arugument especially if JCU were to sweep Berg.  If that happens I would really put MUC in a bind on getting in the tourney but I just dont see that happening.  I guess I am not sold on JCU.  I am not sold on MUC either but after seeing them play each other last weekend I was really confused on how  they have got to this point in the year.  I was not impressed at all with their lineup... not alot for power and the only potent weapon was their leadoff hitter who can just cause all sorts of problems.  I was even more confused on their two starters.  From what I grasped they were JCU two best and I was baffled on how they have a top 10 ERA in the country.  MUC has issues too.  Right now they have a depth issues at pitching with an injury and poor overall performance but there is a glimmer of hope.  They have got some solid relief outings as of late and if they are managed right their bullpen numbers could be alot better than they reflect currently.  MUC also can be jekel and hyde at the plate.  Somedays all their top 6 hitters show up other days 2 of the top 6 hitters show up.  But MUC's back was against the wall last saturday and they went to JCU on senior day played well and swept.  Their backs are against the wall again on saturday because I think they will need one win against a team that has won 13 of 15.  So I guess after all of that here is my argument. 
IS MUC's #1 better than OC's #1?  Answer: Push at best and history says adavantage OC.
Is MUC's #1 better than OC's #2?  Answer: Advantage MUC. 
Is MUC's #2 better than OC's #2?  Answer: Advantage OC.

So strategy wise the win one game approach I think is the best strategy out there for two reasons.  You cant go to OC and lose both and miss the tournament after you start the year 7-1 in conference when you as a coach could prevent this by making a matchup choice.  You also cant go to OC lose both and back into the tourney with no confidence against the teams in the tournament (if this happens MUC would be 1-5 against teams in the tournament).  If you can prevent both of those by making a matchup choice then I think you make the change.  MUC has got burnt before by not making crucial coaching decisions in crunch time.  I would rather be proactive in trying to get a split than be passive.

Great discussion by the way
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2008, 02:29:46 PM
^^^^Now that's a post!  Nice job fundamentalswin.  I actually had to go get a drink before I dove in.

I'm totally with you that I don't see JCU sweeping the Berg.  But I also would never have said BW would sweep Ott or Musky would sweep MUC.  The latter of which, by the way, will be what haunts the Raiders if they miss the tourney. 

That sounds like a classic JCU team.  You'll rarely find them raking from top to bottom, but they usually have solid pitching and execute the little things to win games.  Evanko and Fort are their top 2 and with good reason.  If you can run those 2 out there, given their season's work as a whole, you have to give them a chance to sweep Saturday. 

I absolutely agree that the pitching depth is a concern for MUC.  Who is injured?  Hopefully nothing serious in any event.  Aren't 2 of the top 6 hitters freshmen?  I would expect them to be inconsistent, but people like Warner need to be the constants.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on May 03, 2008, 03:34:20 PM
Do we know whats going on with Heidleberg and JCU???... Marietta is washed out they will play ONU tomorrow at 1
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 03, 2008, 04:04:58 PM
^^^^ no clue.  Neither team updates their website very quickly....and I'm not sure if they're even playing today b/c of weather.

Otterbein and Mount are in the 5th inning and OTT leads 5-0. 

**** side note - Mount is throwing their ACE in game one vs Remenowski....kinda what I thought would happen, as previously discussed.  Doesn't look like it really matters, as Mariotti has given up 5 runs in the first 4 innings.  Mount will have to win game two to most likely get into the tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 03, 2008, 06:43:11 PM
Otterbein wins game one over Mount Union.

Mount leads game two 8-3 in the 8th inning. (if Mount holds on for the win, they are the #4 seed in the tournament)


___________________________________________

Heidelberg wins game one over John Carroll.

Game two is in a rain delay.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on May 03, 2008, 07:39:51 PM
JCU leads game two i believe??? not sure though
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 03, 2008, 07:50:42 PM
Mount now leads 10-6 in the 9th inning.  If they hold on, which they most likely will, then John Carroll will only be playing spoiler.  A JCU win could give Marietta the opportunity to host with a sweep tomorrow.

Regardless, the OAC tournament field will be set with Marietta, Heidelberg, Otterbein, Mount Union.  The seeding will be determined after the Marietta results (and the 2nd Heidelberg game results).

Congrats to Mount Union for coming back to win game two and getting into the tournament as the #4 seed!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2008, 01:06:54 AM
Otterbein and Mount Union split.

Heidelberg swept JCU.

The tournament field is set, and will be hosted by Heidelberg.

(1) Heidelberg
(2 or 3) Marietta
(2 or 3) Otterbein
(4) Mount Union

The #2 and #3 seeds will be determined after Marietta's games against ONU.  If MAR wins one game, they are the #2 seed.  Regardless, they will play OTT in the first game of the OAC Tournament.....and HEID will play MOUNT.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2008, 04:09:15 PM
Marietta took game one over ONU.

The tournament field is set:

(1) HEID
(2) MAR
(3) OTT
(4) MOUNT

I think this tournament could be really competitive.  All four teams have very solid #1 starters, and somewhat deep pitching staffs.   Whoever wins the tournament and represents the OAC in the regional will be very qualified.

My early pick is with Marietta; then again I think MAR, HEID, and OTT are all about equal and any of them could win three in a row if their bats get hot.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2008, 05:37:37 PM
I would have to agree mideastfan2.  This year's field is very competitive.  The Etta/Ott match up is intriguing.  I feel like those are the 2 teams best equipped to survive an opening loss.  And the last time Paddock and Mariotti faced off the game went 11 innings, so that should be fun. 

Kudos to MUC for rebounding from a 12-0 loss and hitting the ball well in the nightcap.  Big homers from Warner and Ferrell late for MUC.  Ferrell and Lash (Heid) are going to be fun to watch considering both are freshmen making a big impact already.

Talk about a tough pill to swallow for JCU.  Fort and Evanko gave them a chance to sweep, but they just coudn't quite seal it.  As usual, Heid got good pitching and timely hitting.  Guess that's why they're hosting...   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2008, 05:40:03 PM
Does anyone (fundamentalswin?) know why Thomas went 3 innings for MUC and then Irwin came in?  Didn't know if that was planned, Thomas got injured or they just made the switch because the coaching staff didn't think he was throwing well.  Just curious. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 07, 2008, 07:13:19 PM
O.K. OAC boys lets hear your take on this weekends tourney.( I'm going back to my roots, Wooster was in this conference when I was there.)

I like the Berg, just because I think they are playing the best at this time. I'll never count out Etta though. They seem to raise their level of play in the post season.

I thought Otterbein would have been more dominate this year with their pitching. They may be a dark horse. Mount is an unknown factor. They may take the "we are just glad to be here attitude and nothing to loose", which could make them dangerous.

It should be a wide open and exciting tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on May 07, 2008, 09:50:03 PM
Dr. Acula...

You seem to be a fairly intelligent guy... Do the math
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2008, 05:08:32 PM
Marietta takes care of business in game one and beats Otterbein (and Remenowksi) 5-2.

Can't say I'm surprised at all.

Knowlton pitched very well, and the Marietta bats got to Rem early and often.  Some timely two out hitting helped as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 08, 2008, 08:42:40 PM
The OAC tourney went as planned, 1 beat 4 ( Berg over Mount) & 2beat 3 ( Etta over Bein). No surprises according to the seeding.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2008, 12:09:39 PM
again, I'm not surprised by this morning's outcome.

MAR - 8
HEID - 4

FINAL....Marietta advances to tomorrow's championship game. Heidelberg will play the winner of the next game between Mount & Otterbein.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2008, 02:13:05 PM
Stellar work by the Etta bullpen today.  Eschbaugh and Merryman shut out the Berg the final 4.1 innings. 

Ott leads MUC 5-2 after 5 innings. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2008, 02:59:08 PM
Otterbein eliminated Mount Union 5-3.  Doug Stevens went the distance.

Otterbein will take on Heidelberg in the losers bracket final this afternoon....the winner plays Marietta tomorrow.  Both Otterebin and Heidelberg have used up their top 2 pitchers.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2008, 03:02:14 PM
That will be a good match up this afternoon.  I'm curious to see who gets the ball for both teams.  Regardless, Etta is sitting pretty right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 09, 2008, 04:24:46 PM
I have got to hand it to Marietta. They had a poor start to the season and even into mid season, they didn't play very well.
Come tourney time, they always " kick it up a notch". The tourney is not over yet but, Etta certainly has put themselves in the drivers seat.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2008, 06:37:08 PM
^^^ Marietta played a very tough schedule to be ready for the end of the season...and it's showing.  They are playing extremely well right now.

Heidelberg eliminates Otterbein.  Tough season for Otterbein; the senior class had a great four years but couldn't quite get to the World Series.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 09, 2008, 08:19:48 PM
Mideast Fan,
              I don't think their early schedule has anything to do with preparing for the post-season. Etta is just manning up and playing better baseball.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2008, 11:18:33 PM
^^ I beg to differ.  I watched them play early in the year and spoke with the coaches.  They scheduled hard to make sure they played tough competition, to be ready for the post-season.  Directly from the staff.

They don't go to Texas for the chicken fried steak (although it's a nice bonus).  And playing Piedmont and Rhodes early, isn't a coincidence either.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: woosterbooster on May 09, 2008, 11:46:52 PM
I wouldn't eat a chicken-fried steak even if 500 leggy Texas blondes walked one to me all the way in Wooster.  But I agree with you that Marietta's trip to Texas had to help them.  They always seem to play their best ball at this time of year, and when you do it over and over, it's no accident.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 09, 2008, 11:56:22 PM
Quote from: Wooster Booster on May 09, 2008, 11:46:52 PM
I wouldn't eat a chicken-fried steak even if 500 leggy Texas blondes walked one to me all the way in Wooster.  But I agree with you that Marietta's trip to Texas had to help them.  They always seem to play their best ball at this time of year, and when you do it over and over, it's no accident.
How about a steak from the Perini Ranch (http://www.periniranch.com/)...    without the blonds.  ;)

:D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: woosterbooster on May 10, 2008, 12:22:33 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on May 09, 2008, 11:56:22 PM
How about a steak from the Perini Ranch (http://www.periniranch.com/)...    without the blonds.  ;)
:D

Now THAT's a steak; bring it on! :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2008, 12:24:00 PM
^^^^  haha....nice!!

the OAC title game is under way.  you can listen online through WMOA:

http://www.wmoa1490.com/
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2008, 02:54:48 PM
Heidelberg wins game one 5-3 over Marietta.

The winner-take-all game starts at 3:15pm.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2008, 06:01:19 PM
game two has been kinda crazy.  Marietta led 2-0, then Heidelberg tied it 2-2, before having a huge 5 run inning to take a 7-2 lead.  Marietta battled back, and heading to the bottom of the 9th......

HEID - 9
MAR - 8

middle of the order up for Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2008, 06:12:37 PM
Marietta gets runners on the corners with only 1 out and hits into a 6-4-3 DP to end the game.

Good luck to Heidelbrg in the Regional.....they are by far the most talented team heading to Terra-Haute.  If it's an 8-team regional, their pitching depth will show through big time!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2008, 03:25:33 PM
Congrats to the Berg.  They have played well all season and will be great representatives for the OAC.  Best of luck!  And best of luck to everyone else going forward...with their young talent they will be good for a while.  That freshmen middle infield duo is terrifying. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2008, 03:36:56 PM
Whiteman wins the Rafeld Award and Remenowsky wins the Tekulve AGAIN.  Great career for him.  Both were very deserving.

The All-OAC (or any such awards) are great fuel for debate.  I never like to say a kid didn't deserve an award, so I'll limit my comments to a couple kids I would like to have seen bumped up.  Evanko (JCU) got 2nd team.  Obviously I thought he deserved 1st team considering earlier I posted that I thought he should win the Tekulve Award.  The other one was Ferrell (MUC).  He was 3rd in the conference at .412.  He was HM.  Both are freshmen, so no surprise.  They will have plenty of time to make 1st team in the future.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 26, 2008, 03:43:21 PM
All-Mideast Region Teams were announced.  15 OAC guys were honored including 7 freshmen/sophmores.  Congrats to all those selected:

1st Team
Whiteman, Musk
Hiscox, Ott
Lash, Heid
Wentworth, Heid
Knowlton, Etta

2nd Team
Cimino, Etta
Ferrell, MUC
Lewis, JCU
Remenowski, Ott
Sankovich, ONU
Thomas, Heid

HM
Kovanda, Ott
Grassley, Heid
Evanko, JCU
Lowe, Heid

All-Mideast Region Teams (http://www2.muc.edu/athletics/athletics_archive/men_s_teams/baseball/2008_Season/2008_div_iii_rawlings_abca_all_mideast_region_team_announced.aspx)


Revised for formatting -- Thanks for the link.  Ralph Turner
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: WLCALUM83 on May 27, 2008, 09:59:41 AM
Here's an update on Bobby Wright (played for Otterbein):

(Gateway's in the Frontier League-the link below provides his stats).

http://www.gatewaygrizzlies.com/team/stats/?type=player
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on July 28, 2008, 01:38:31 PM
First of all congrats to Remonowsky (SP?).  How do things look for the 2009 season in all schools?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 08, 2008, 10:31:32 AM
Quote from: a spectator on July 28, 2008, 01:38:31 PM
First of all congrats to Remonowsky (SP?).  How do things look for the 2009 season in all schools?

I certainly can't talk about ALL teams, but I think it's safe to safe the favorites based purely on returning talent have to be Heidelberg and Etta.  They both have a lot back. 

BERG:  Return 5 position players that earned All-Conference in 2008.  They also return 3 pitchers that earned All-OAC recognition including their ace, David Paddock.  And based on the fact that 4 of these 8 players were freshmen in 08, I think it's safe to assume that Coach Palm has the recruiting cranked up.  A regional appearance doesn't hurt on that front either.

ETTA:  I feel like I shouldn't comment too much since mideastfan2 is the resident Etta expert, but I will just throw out there that they return 5 All-OAC performers including their ace, TJ Knowlton.  Throw in the fact that they're Marietta and it's not hard to do the math...they'll be good. 

OTT:  They graduated A LOT of talent most notably the top of their rotation.  They're at a point now where I assume that they're going to be good every year though.  Jeremy Williams and Michael Taylor will likely emerge as their top starters.

MUC:  They exploded out of the gate last year and then kind limped to the finish line.  They graduated a middle of the order guy in Andy Warner, but other than that they return the bulk of their position players as well as their starting pitching including their ace, Paul Mariotti.  The question for them is whether they can build on 08's early success and put together a consistent conference run in 09.

Those are my top 4 based on what I know today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 08, 2008, 10:35:25 AM
Congratulations to Dan Remenowsky.  He signed with the White Sox and reported to Bristol (VA) of the Appalachian League.

http://www.otterbein.edu/athletics/baseball/baseball.htm
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on October 01, 2008, 09:46:35 PM
Well, I guess everyone's fall season is beginning.  How do the OAC teams look?  I see that Marietta and Heidelberg have posted their 2009 schedules.  Ott has not and I didn't check the others.  Looks like Marietta going to NC this year instead of Georgia for their first trip to play some great competition. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on October 22, 2008, 12:41:53 PM
Now that fall practice has ended what are some outlooks around the league.  Anyone ready to make some perdictions on how the confrence will turnout?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on January 06, 2009, 10:09:30 AM
Congrats to Marietta and Heidelberg on their pre-season ranking in the poll.  How do both of these teams look for this spring?  How many returning letterman/seniors for each? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 17, 2009, 03:13:11 PM
Also congrats to Brock Whiteman on being named 2nd team, d3baseball.com Preseason All-American.  The only OAC (or NCAC) representative on the team.  Hopefully that changes after the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 18, 2009, 01:30:28 PM
Quote from: a spectator on January 06, 2009, 10:09:30 AM
Congrats to Marietta and Heidelberg on their pre-season ranking in the poll.  How do both of these teams look for this spring?  How many returning letterman/seniors for each? 

Etta has 10 returning lettermen and here is the blurb from their web site regarding key returning players:

Seven seniors, including All-Mideast Region pitcher T.J. Knowlton (Greenwich/Mapleton) and All-Mideast Region third baseman Cameron Cimino (Boardman), will anchor Marietta's lineup this spring. All-OAC pitcher Jason Baumler (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill), second baseman/third baseman Brennan Cribbins (Middleburg Heights/Midpark), All-OAC utility player Justin Merryman (New Philadelphia), All-OAC pitcher Chris Stewart (Dublin/Coffman) and second baseman/third baseman Josh Spicer (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) will also be asked to provide the senior leadership that is a staple of the Marietta baseball program.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on January 19, 2009, 12:10:48 AM
Hope springs eternal, and here is hoping that Etta and the Berg do great things this year!  If you look at the major 2008 stats it will come down to pitching again, and I am hopefull that we have some new teams in the OAC tourny.  It comes down to how the kids can be a TEAM. 

I can't wait for the games to be begin
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on February 04, 2009, 01:11:09 AM
Quote
Congrats to Marietta and Heidelberg on their pre-season ranking in the poll.  How do both of these teams look for this spring?  How many returning letterman/seniors for each? 


The Berg lost three seniors from 2008. Heidelberg will be returning all 8 position players. Hitters: Jeremy Wentworth, Sr, OF, 3rd team All American, 1st team Mideast Region, 1st team OAC, OAC tournament team, .420 Avg.; Jason Lash, Soph, SS, 2 time OAC Hitter of the Week, 1st team Mideast Region, Mideast Region tournament team, 1st team OAC, .425 Avg;  Matt Grassley, Sr, OF, 3rd team Mideast Region, 2nd team OAC, OAC Tournament team, .366 Avg; Gar Keene, Soph, 2nd, 1st team OAC, OAC Tournament team, .330 Avg; Willie Brechun, Soph, 3rd, OAC Tournament team, .309 Avg; Andrew Buelow, Soph, OF, .350 Avg; Biagio Boytim, Sr, 1st, OAC Tournament team, .277 Avg; Steve Decker, Jr, Catcher, OAC Honorable  Mention , .260 Avg.
Pitchers: Dave Paddock, Sr, 6-3, 2nd team OAC; Everett Thomas, Jr, 8-1, 2nd team Mideast Region; Jake Gossman, Soph, 4-3, OAC Pitcher of the Week, OAC Honorable Mention; Andy Lowe, Soph, 5-1, OAC Pitcher of the Week, 3rd team Mideast Region, OAC Honorable Mention, OAC all Tournament team, MVP OAC Tournament; Brian Koehl, Soph, 5-1; Branden Stucky, Soph, 1-0.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on February 04, 2009, 01:40:56 AM
Correction on the Berg article by Gramps: Andy Lowe was an OAC  2 time Pitcher of the WeeK. My Bad. This is all new to me, so bear with me and my mistakes.

The Berg starts their Spring Training March 1st in Port Charlotte, Fla. We plan on being there and I will keep a log of the highlights to present to the message board.

  GO BERG!!!!!!!
Title: Top Teams in OAC?
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on February 05, 2009, 08:44:08 AM
How does the OAC look this year?  Hear that Heidelberg, Etta look good but how about ONU?  Heard a lot has changed in the last few years... Let me know!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on February 05, 2009, 09:04:33 AM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on February 05, 2009, 08:44:08 AM
How does the OAC look this year?  Hear that Heidelberg, Etta look good but how about ONU?  Heard a lot has changed in the last few years... Let me know!

Welcome to the boards!

The OAC board gets active later in the season, when the last ice storm has melted!  :D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on February 05, 2009, 01:42:49 PM
Well thanks alot!!! Please, let me know your thoughts!  I am very curious!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on February 05, 2009, 02:20:14 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on February 05, 2009, 09:04:33 AM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on February 05, 2009, 08:44:08 AM
How does the OAC look this year?  Hear that Heidelberg, Etta look good but how about ONU?  Heard a lot has changed in the last few years... Let me know!

Welcome to the boards!

The OAC board gets active later in the season, when the last ice storm has melted!  :D
Or when spence's ban is lifted...  :P  ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 21, 2009, 05:31:54 PM
It certainly doesn't feel like it outside, but the season is officially starting today.  Capital is down in VA playing Averett (3-6) in a DH today.  The results of game 1 haven't been posted yet.  The Crusaders then head to Myrtle Beach for a DH tomorrow and a game Monday.

The majority of the OAC will begin play the first week of March with Etta, Musky and JCU on 3/1, ONU on 3/2 and Berg and Bein on 3/4.  The rest begin the following week.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on February 22, 2009, 01:04:26 AM
I certainly agree with the cold part, but according to the Berg schedule, they start the season in Florida on March 1st.  They have a game with John Jay at 10am on Sun the 1st and another game with them on Mon. at 1:30pm.  The rest of their Florida games are:

                                       3-3     Eastern Mennonite     12:30pm
                                       3-4     Bluffton                       12:00pm
                                       3-5     Winona State               7:30pm
                                       3-6     Bluffton                         3:00pm
                                       3-7     Mount St. Joseph          2:00pm

And then on 3-8, local rival Wooster, at 12:00pm.  This should be a good preview for the season.
For their final game in Florida, the Berg will meet Benedictine College at 10:00am.
On the way home, they will stop off in Demorest, Ga., for two games against Piedmont. The first game on Thursday, 3-12 at 7:00pm and the second Friday, 3-13 at 3:00pm.

Regular season starts on 3-17 vs Bluffton at Bluffton at 4:00pm.

I will be in Florida for the majority of the games and if I can get to  a laptop, I'll try to highlight each game. Looking forward to a successful and fun filled season.  GO BERG!!!!!



                                         
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on February 22, 2009, 01:07:29 AM
Quote from: Gramps on February 22, 2009, 01:04:26 AM
I certainly agree with the cold part, but according to the Berg schedule, they start the season in Florida on March 1st.  They have a game with John Jay at 10am on Sun the 1st and another game with them on Mon. at 1:30pm.  The rest of their Florida games are:

                                       3-3     Eastern Mennonite     12:30pm
                                       3-4     Bluffton                       12:00pm
                                       3-5     Winona State               7:30pm
                                       3-6     Bluffton                         3:00pm
                                       3-7     Mount St. Joseph          2:00pm

And then on 3-8, local rival Wooster, at 12:00pm.  This should be a good preview for the season.
For their final game in Florida, the Berg will meet Benedictine College at 10:00am.
On the way home, they will stop off in Demorest, Ga., for two games against Piedmont. The first game on Thursday, 3-12 at 7:00pm and the second Friday, 3-13 at 3:00pm.

Regular season starts on 3-17 vs Bluffton at Bluffton at 4:00pm.

I will be in Florida for the majority of the games and if I can get to  a laptop, I'll try to highlight each game. Looking forward to a successful and fun filled season.  GO BERG!!!!!
                                       
In-region games in bold.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on February 22, 2009, 12:20:39 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on February 22, 2009, 01:07:29 AM
Quote from: Gramps on February 22, 2009, 01:04:26 AM
I certainly agree with the cold part, but according to the Berg schedule, they start the season in Florida on March 1st.  They have a game with John Jay at 10am on Sun the 1st and another game with them on Mon. at 1:30pm.  The rest of their Florida games are:

                                       3-3     Eastern Mennonite     12:30pm
                                       3-4     Bluffton                       12:00pm
                                       3-5     Winona State               7:30pm
                                       3-6     Bluffton                         3:00pm
                                       3-7     Mount St. Joseph          2:00pm

And then on 3-8, local rival Wooster, at 12:00pm.  This should be a good preview for the season.
For their final game in Florida, the Berg will meet Benedictine College at 10:00am.
On the way home, they will stop off in Demorest, Ga., for two games against Piedmont. The first game on Thursday, 3-12 at 7:00pm and the second Friday, 3-13 at 3:00pm.

Regular season starts on 3-17 vs Bluffton at Bluffton at 4:00pm.

I will be in Florida for the majority of the games and if I can get to  a laptop, I'll try to highlight each game. Looking forward to a successful and fun filled season.  GO BERG!!!!!
                                       
In-region games in bold.
Thanks Ralph,   It's good to know all the information when assessing a schedule.  It shows the coaches strategy in scheduling and adds to the knowledge and enjoyment  of the season.
                                    Thanks again,
                                                   Gramps
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 22, 2009, 01:43:51 PM
Quote from: Gramps on February 22, 2009, 01:04:26 AM
I certainly agree with the cold part, but according to the Berg schedule, they start the season in Florida on March 1st.  They have a game with John Jay at 10am on Sun the 1st and another game with them on Mon. at 1:30pm.

Thanks Gramps.  I didn't go to each school's site for obvious reasons.  In fact, I was going to put an "All scheduling info per oac.org" disclaimer on my post, but I thought maybe this would be the year the OAC website would be a reliable source.  That hope didn't last long.

Enjoy Florida.  Nothing is better than sitting in the sun watching some baseball.  6 years later and my dad still talks about going to FL to watch us my junior & senior years.  I've never seen him happier.       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 22, 2009, 01:58:00 PM
Capital split at Averett yesterday.  Dropped the opener 7-1, but rebounded to take the nightcap 9-2.

Marc St. John went 3 for 7 w/ 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 runs on the day. 

Matt Uy was very solid picking up the CG win allowing only 2 ER.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on February 23, 2009, 12:56:33 AM
Congrats to the teams who won this past week.  Has anyone heard how the teams not talked about should do?  (Mount, ONU, Wilmington)

Curious who will be coming back from these teams and anyone's predictions

Thanks!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on February 23, 2009, 10:41:33 AM
I look for Muskingum to make some noise this year with some new pitchers - Matt Fryer and Isaac Free.  I know Wilmington has Iles returning, don't know anything about ONU or Mount.  I am sure all will be competitive.  But I see Heidelberg, Marietta and Otterbein being the leaders in the league, imo.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on February 24, 2009, 07:49:57 PM
BW will also be in the mix.  They did extremely will offensivly and defensivly last year, and they have veteran pitching returning w/ solid younger kids that will make an impact in the rotation.  I do believe ETTA and BERG will obviously be the top TEAMS.  Ott, Mount, BW and ONU will be fighting for the other spots.  JC may surprise everyone though, even though they lost a lot of kids, it is a very solid program.  Good luck to all!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2009, 09:08:45 PM
Capital is sitting at 2-3 after splitting w/ Alma and dropping one to Richard Stockton 29-28.  I looked it up and Richard Stockton is an actual college in NJ.  Maybe I'm the only one that had never heard of it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2009, 09:56:32 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on February 23, 2009, 12:56:33 AMHas anyone heard how the teams not talked about should do?  (Mount, ONU, Wilmington)

I'll try to tackle MUC as best I can.  I'm no help w/ the other 2 though.

They return a lot from a team that went 11-7 in the OAC last year.  Here's my quick rundown on the key guys coming back:

Paul Mariotti (Jr, P):  He was their ace in 08 going 6-2.  All-OAC in 08.  Mariotti is just solid.  He gives them a chance to win every time out.   
Greg Ferrell (So, CF):  Hit .411 w/ 4 HR, 31 RBI and 10 SB as a freshmen.  Earned All-OAC and All-Region honors.  It will be hard to improve on that kind of start to your college career.
Cory Slaybaugh (Sr, 1B):  Hit .372 w/ 23 RBI in 08.  All-OAC in 08. 
Craig Knott (So, SS):  Hit .315 w/ 32 RBI and 23 extra base hits (5 HR).  I think it had to be the most difficult on Knott last season being a freshmen SS.  His production was very good for a freshmen.  When I was in school we had 3 freshmen battling for starting SS and it was so hard for any of them to consistently play at a high enough level to keep the job.  The lumps Knott took last year should start paying off in 09.
Connor Nell (Jr, C):  Started just over half the season.  Hit .324 w/ 16 RBI in that time though.  Looks to take over full time in 09.
Grant Sevek (Sr, OF):  Hit .331 w/ 4 HR, 25 RBI in 08.

MUC also returns their #2-4 starting pitchers and their starting 3B as well.

They have a good nucleus back and many of them are going to be around for a while.  It's really a matter of whether they can finish strong.  They started out fast last year at 7-1 in OAC play, then went 4-6 the rest of the way.  The sweep by Musky was probably the low point of the 08 season.  The sweep by Berg was up there not because they got swept, but because of the manner in which they were swept (blew a 4-1 lead in the 7th).  But they played Etta and Berg tough, so there shouldn't be that mental aspect to deal with (as much as in the past anyway).  It will be interesting to see how it plays out.       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on February 25, 2009, 08:48:47 AM
I think with Mount it will again come down to their pitching and how it is managed.  They have alot of quality arms but IMO they dont really have a direction or plan to use those arms.  If they figure something out past the starters and utilize the quality of arms they have then I think they can be more successful than last season.  If they did what they did last and lose games due to poor management of pitching assets then they will be in the mix but could find themselves on the outside looking in come tournament time
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 25, 2009, 12:45:21 PM
MUC needs better pitching in general.  Their team ERA was not good and it was downright bad after Mariotti.  I think we'll see some of those young guys numbers come down this year with a year under their belt.  If they can get consistent starts from Thomas and Irwin I think they'll be in good shape.  With what they have back if they put up numbers similar to 08 that would be a major disappointment. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2009, 02:46:35 PM
Capital swept Lyndon St. on Thursday to improve to 4-3 thus far.  Scores were 10-1 and 13-8.  Can't give you any other details as Cap's web site doesn't have anything on the last 5 games.  No offense, but how hard is it to submit box scores?  They're down south in a hotel...do hotels even have rooms WITHOUT internet at this point?   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2009, 03:08:43 PM
OK, it's the first day of March.  Marietta's weekend trip to NC was cancelled.  So I figured the best thing to do is post some links to season previews. 

BW (http://www.bw.edu/athletics/bb/features/08_09/09preview/)

JCU (http://www.jcusports.com/news/2009/3/1/BB_0301090318.aspx)

Marietta (http://pioneers.marietta.edu./baseball/archive/2008-09/20090220.html)

Musky (http://www.muskingum.edu/home/athletics/baseball/index.html)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 03, 2009, 10:25:01 AM
The Berg is off to a good start, 2-0.  But before I report on the sport of baseballl, I'd like to thank
the heart of baseball.  All of the fans and followers of the Berg who came down to Florida, some
80 strong.  My congrats to the fans.
Sun - vs John Jay - 22-0 - Dave Paddock, 8 innings, 11 Ks (career best) 9 hits - Fr. Eric Biggs - 1 inning -
2 Ks 1 Go.  HITTERS:  Grassley - 4-5, Decker, Wentworth, Keene with multiple hits. Alex Monroe - HR.
Mon - vs John Jay - 21-2 - Brian Koehl, 8 innings, 5 hits - Andy Lowe, 1 inning, 2 Ks Go.
HITTERS: A. Monroe - 3-4, J. Lash - 3-5, Wentworth, Buelow, Grassley, Brechun, and Decker with multiple hits. Jason Lash - HR.
Todays game, Tues, vs Eastern Mennonite U. will be at 12:30 PMl

GO BERG!!!!!


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 03, 2009, 07:21:42 PM
Tues - vs Eastern  Mennonite U - Berg jumps to 3-0, with a 9-0  victory.  E. Thomas throws a shutout
for 7 innings allowing 5 hits with 5 Ks.  E Biggs came in for the final 2 giving up 1 hit with 2 Ks to
complete the Shutout.  HITTERS:  J. Wentworth, 3-5, and 2 hits each for G. Keene, A. Monroe, and
T. McClarney.
The Berg was bumped up in the NCBWA top 25 poll from 8th to 5th.
Wed. vs Bluffton - 1:30 PM
Listen to the game on "www.heidelberg.edu/stacrew/mbb/xlive.htm"
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2009, 08:27:32 PM
Man that John Jay school is off to a rough start.  Drubbed twice by the Berg and I believe Musky beat them by 20 some runs also. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 04, 2009, 10:06:25 PM
The Berg goes to 4-0 with 20-1 win over Bluffton.  Jake Gossman went 5-2/3 innings allowing 3
hits with 10 Ks, followed by M Jones, 1-1/3 innings, 0 hits, B Hartman, 1 innings, 2 Ks, 1 hit, 1
earned run, and finishing in the 9th,  E Williams, 1 K, 0 hits.
HITTERS:  2 hits by G Keene, J Bault, T McClarney.  Willie Brechun had 3 RBIs and 1 HR.
Heidelberg has a team batting average of .404.

Thurs. 3-5 Winona State 1:30PM.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 04, 2009, 10:30:33 PM
Guys,

Not real knowledgeable on the Baseball team, but I am a Cap graduate (1998) and a regular on the football board.  I try to keep up with the other sports (basketball and baseball) and have even caught a couple of games live the last few years.

I think that Cap has some talent.  THey flashed a bit of it making the final game of the OAC tourney a couple of years ago and then collapsed last year because of a lack of pitching depth.  If they can fix that, they might have a shot at the OAC tourney.  Outside of Etta and Berg, your guess is as good as mine.  I see no reasons to dispute anything in the previous posts about MUC, BW, JCU, ONU, and the hated Otters being contenders for the other OAC spots.  But, Stevison and the St. John boys can hit, but we all know pitching and defense wins.

We'll see.  For now, it's off to the Hoops boards to see what's up with the Cap men and women (both in NCAA's this weekend)...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on March 04, 2009, 11:06:43 PM
Thanks for jumping in....it's nice to see the interest.  Looks like a little sarcasm is coming our way from the Dr.  I say the way teams set up there season season speaks volumes and we can all learn a lot from ETTA.  It will be interesting to see how the OAC see teams come out of their spring schedules, and then how they do, in the OAC.   My bet is those that take the tough road will be better off at the end of the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2009, 08:45:47 PM
Good point on the scheduling, lhpdiggy.  The hard part is trying to schedule a tough spring trip if you're not doing what Etta does.  If you're just going to the Gene Cusic in Ft. Myers or the Snowbird in Port Charlotte you can only do so much with it.  Look at JCU, Musky and Berg.  Check out their schedules in FL.  JCU has already played Bluffton twice and they play John Jay a second time tomorrow.  Same w/ Berg.  A lot of it is luck as far as who has spring break when you do and who decides to go to what place.  But your point is dead on.  Playing a weak schedule down south (or out of conference in general) does little to help you in the long run.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2009, 09:05:16 PM
A quick update on what's going on in the Sunshine State...

Berg (4-0)--Thanks to Gramps for all his info.  Much appreciated.  The only additional interesting things I saw were that they have won their 4 games by a combined score of 72-3.  Also, their starting pitchers have yet to allow an earned run.  Finally, Soph. Alex Monroe is off to a blazing start hitting an even .500 and slugging .929 thus far.     

JCU (5-1)--As I mentioned above they have played Bluffton twice already and will undoubtedly move to 6-1 when they play John Jay tomorrow (they beat them 19-1 the first time and everyone is abusing JJ).  Bluffton is not going to want to see an OAC team again for a LONG time after this trip.  And John Jay might not want to see anyone in the opposing batter's box for a long time. 

Musky (4-2)--Ho hum, Wes Carder and Brock Whiteman are off to good starts at the plate.  Big surprise, right?  I'm sure no one is surprised that they're hitting .478 and .474, respectively.  What I was surprised by though was taking a look at their stats and seeing that the Fish have had 5 solid starts in their 6 games so far.  They can always hit, but if they can somehow pitch a little too...

Cap (4-3)--I know they're not in FL, but this is my chance to give everyone an update.  Still no box scores on the Cap website since the Averett DH.  In case you can't tell I am still unhappy with this.  Do they miss Lenny Reich that much?  Do we need to ask JK to throw his clout around?  Do I need to make the 10 minute drive from downtown to Bexley and offer to post them myself?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 05, 2009, 09:37:09 PM
The Berg is now 4-1 after being defeated by Winona State 5-3."Sly" Nino Fr RHP gave up 5 runs on 7 hits. He also had 3 Ks . HITTERS: Having two hits each were M. Grassley and J. Lash, J. Wentworth had 3 hits.
:(
Fri. 3-6 vs Bluffton at 12:00PM :
   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 05, 2009, 10:44:28 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2009, 09:05:16 PM
Do they miss Lenny Reich that much?  Do we need to ask JK to throw his clout around?  Do I need to make the 10 minute drive from downtown to Bexley and offer to post them myself?

I miss Lenny that much.  The guy was a great SID.  I actually wrote him an email asking for some old stuff from my playing days and he responded and sent it to me.  Have you checked out how much MUC's websites have improved since he got there? 

However, give the SI department some slack here.  They had the womens OAC hoops tourney there this past weekend, are hosting the first and second rounds of the men's NCAA hoops tourney, and the OAC indoor Track and Field Championships are also there this week.

Lots going on.  Early season baseball is on the back-burner right now.

Finally, I wish I had that kind of clout at Cap.  Maybe if Coach Welsh (my football coach back in the day) were still AD and Lenny were still SID, then I might.  ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 06, 2009, 12:37:25 PM
Does anyone know if/when BW is going on their spring trip??? How are they going to do this year, will they be able to compete with the big three? Are they sleepers in the conference?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: RSSmith on March 06, 2009, 01:34:42 PM
Quote from: bballfanatic1984 on March 06, 2009, 12:37:25 PM
Does anyone know if/when BW is going on their spring trip??? How are they going to do this year, will they be able to compete with the big three? Are they sleepers in the conference?

They leave for Florida this weekend.  http://www.bw.edu/athletics/bb/sched/

They were 19-19 last year with some quality wins (e.g. DH vs. Otterbein, Haverford) and quality losses (e.g. Heidelberg, Marietta) and return a dozen players from that team, including 4 starting pitchers.  They should not be overlooked.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2009, 06:21:29 PM
JCU moved to 6-1 w/ an 11-4 win over John Jay this morning.  The Bloodhounds have allowed 119 runs in the first 7 games.  The Streaks finish up in FL w/ a DH against Becker tomorrow.  Becker is starting their season against Musky today. 

ONU lost to #22 Thiel 12-8 today.  They're now 2-3 on the season.  Just based on looking at stats, it looks like Northern's pitching is a little slow coming out of the gate.  But it also looks like some Fr/So are getting starts, so it's not a major concern. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 08, 2009, 03:32:11 PM
How does ONU and Wilmington look this year?  Good PItching and or hitting?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2009, 09:25:50 PM
MUC's season got off to an exciting start.  Their bus caught fire right after they crossed the border into FL early Saturday morning.  Players had to push out windows and jump out.  Luckily no one was hurt, just some damage to their belongings.

MUC split with Albion today.  Paul Mariotti tossed a CG shutout to pick up the 4-0 win in the opener.  Albion pushed across a couple insurance runs in the top of the 7th and held off MUC 7-5 in the 2nd game.  Greg Ferrell went 4-8 on the day.  Soph. Dan Henderson DH'd and went 3-7 on the day.

And JK, I'm adding Lenny Reich to my holiday card list.  The DH started at 4pm today and they had live stats, audio and the box scores are already up.  The guy is my hero.       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 08, 2009, 11:20:45 PM
Arrived home Sat. night to much rain, indicating that our Florida baseball junket was over.

Heidelberg now has a 7-2 record after splitting a doubleheader with #13th ranked Wooster on Sun.
I have no details just the information that they were both lively games.

Dr. Acula was right about the experience of following baseball in sunny Florida.  The team was brought closer together and so were the parents and grandparents at a special get together hosted by Bob and
Julie Lowe. Much appreciated by all who attended.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 09, 2009, 12:36:50 PM
3-8 /sun: Game one - Wooster 16 - Heidelberg 12
                Game two - Heidelberg 12 - Wooster 4

3-9 Mon: vs Benedictine 2 - Berg 11 Sorry, no details.The Berg stands at 8-2 for the Florida trip.

The team will now travel to Demorest, Ga. for two games with Piedmont College, Thurs. 3/12, 7:00PM
and Fri 3/13 at 3:00PM.

Than back up North for a game with Bluffton on St. Patrick Day, Tues. 3/17 at 4:00PM.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ECSUalum on March 09, 2009, 03:38:21 PM
Scott Chiasson now pitching for Baltimore vs Mets on SNY Network.  score is 3-3
His first inning 0 runs, no hits, no errors, 1 walk, (Mets ground into DP)

Pitched just one inning

Matt DeSalvo now pitching for Mets 0 runs 1 hit no errors in his inning
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2009, 05:35:54 PM
MUC moved to 4-1 after sweeping Waynesburg yesterday and beating Mt. St. Joe's 10-9 today. 

I took a quick look at their stats and was surprised to see 3B Nate McFarland has 7 doubles already.  He's 9-17 overall (.529).  Not too bad.

Anyone have any updates on the other teams in FL this week?  If not, I'll check later before I leave work.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2009, 07:37:14 PM
Here are the OAC teams' records through today (or at least through the early games) in order of winning %:

Ott  (1-0)   
JCU  (8-1)
Berg  (8-2)   
MUC  (4-1)   
Etta  (3-1)
Musky  (6-3)
ONU  (4-3)   
Cap  (5-5)
BW  (2-2)
Wilm  (1-2)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 10, 2009, 08:51:24 PM
Who are the top pitchers in the OAC so far?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 10, 2009, 09:47:32 PM
be proud of Marietta....they are playing an extremely tough schedule in Texas on their spring trip, and are taking care of the teams from the ASC. 

They beat #3 UT-Tyler last night 6-5, and took down McMurry 11-5 tonight.  The Pioneers got a GREAT performance on the mound from freshman Brian Gasser (7 IP, 9 K's, 8 hits, 3 runs).

Tomorrow they will play UT-Dallas, and Hardin-Simmons (both teams have winning records on the year and have each played at least 15 game already).

MC is representing the OAC down south!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 11, 2009, 12:18:25 AM
The Berg's bus broke down on the way to Georgia.  First it was a broken fuel line, got that fixed, than
another problem with the bus.  Hope the bad luck is only on the bus and not on the team, as they play
two games with Piedmont on Thurs and Fri. 

Whats this with all of the bus problems???   First MUC, than Heidelberg. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 11, 2009, 10:25:41 AM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 10, 2009, 08:51:24 PM
Who are the top pitchers in the OAC so far?

Hard to say as most guys have only made 1 start, maybe 2 at most by the end of their spring trip.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 11, 2009, 10:30:07 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on March 10, 2009, 09:47:32 PM
be proud of Marietta....they are playing an extremely tough schedule in Texas on their spring trip, and are taking care of the teams from the ASC.

Yeah, when I was looking for the records so far last night I saw their schedule and thought "that is a BRUTAL schedule".  But they're doing very well and definitely representing the OAC well.  Always do. 

And as was mentioned earlier, this is the kind of scheduling that prepares you for the OAC tourney and regionals later.       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2009, 05:15:21 PM
I just pulled up the live stats for the MUC/Wittenberg game only to find that the Raiders are down 11-6 in the top of the 3rd.  My initial reaction was to feel bad for whatever youngster was taking the lumps today, but much to my surprise I find that it's Paul Mariotti on the mound.  Even stranger is that he threw a CG on Sunday so by my math that would be 3 days rest.  Please tell me I've been looking at numbers too long today and my math is wrong.  I mean, you wouldn't throw your #1 guy on 3 days rest the first week of the season, right?  Not when today's a 9 inning game and you have a DH tomorrow.  Worst case don't you have to pitch by committee today and then get your 1-2 their 2nd starts tomorrow on full rest?  Am I missing something?     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 12, 2009, 06:22:01 PM
The Berg rescheduled their two games with Piedmont.  They played one varsity game today at 3:00PM.
The only facts that I have are that Dave Paddock pitched and got the win and that Heidelberg won
with a score of 4-0.  The second game will be played at 7:00PM tonight.  I'll report the score as soon
as I get the results. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2009, 08:22:32 PM
I feel like Paddock has been at the Berg forever.  That tends to happen when someone is good.  My guess is by the time Jason Lash graduates I'm going to swear he's been there since 2001 or something.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2009, 08:27:52 PM
MUC came back to beat Wittenberg 13-12 to go to 5-1.  They scored 2 in the 6th, 4 in the 7th and 1 in the 8th and got 6.2 shutout innings of relief from Soph. Matt Lambert to complete the comeback.  SS Craig Knott went 3-5 w/ a 2B and his 3rd HR of the season.  He's off to a good start so far.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 12, 2009, 09:32:15 PM
Again, I have no stats or any other info except the score, which turns out to be another win for
the Berg with a 6-4 score. This ends the Florida experience for another year.  Back to the cold north.
Brrrr!!!!! 
GO BERG!!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 13, 2009, 09:27:40 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2009, 08:22:32 PM
I feel like Paddock has been at the Berg forever.  That tends to happen when someone is good.  My guess is by the time Jason Lash graduates I'm going to swear he's been there since 2001 or something.

Hence the jokes about Rocky being at Cap forever on the football boards  ;D

Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2009, 05:15:21 PM
I mean, you wouldn't throw your #1 guy on 3 days rest the first week of the season, right?  Not when today's a 9 inning game and you have a DH tomorrow.  Worst case don't you have to pitch by committee today and then get your 1-2 their 2nd starts tomorrow on full rest?  Am I missing something?     

I personally don't disagree with this statement, although there may be some reason.  Don't we start OAC DH's soon, like next week.  Without looking at their schedules and doing the math, it could be that MUC is trying to get Mariotti another start before the OAC schedule kicks in to get him aligned with the conference games they want him to pitch????
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2009, 05:12:52 PM
MUC swept Trine (IN) today.  They're now 7-1.  They have a single game at LaGrange (GA) tomorrow and then back to Alliance. 

Joe Irwin had his 2nd excellent start of the spring throwing 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits in a 9-0 win.  Bobby Huth went 4-5.  What a nice spot to be in having 2 catchers that can swing the bat.   Nate McFarland went 3-4 continuing his early season tear.

The Raiders took the 2nd game 10-5.  Brett Thomas went 3 giving up 3 ER.  I think it's safe to say that Irwin is the #2 right now, but Thomas is a proven starter and I have no doubt he will be back to form.   Cory Slaybaugh and Connor Nell each had 3 hits.  And freshman Kyle Von Duyke went 2-3 picking up his 1st varsity hit (at least according to the season stats).  Very cool for him.

I'll try to give some updates on the other OAC schools shortly. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2009, 05:21:38 PM
BW lost 16-9 to Thomas More.  The Jackets are 2-5 and somewhere SaintsFan is smiling.

We need lhpdiggy to let us know what's going on with BW so far since I think he's the resident BW guy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2009, 05:40:39 PM
Musky is 7-3 after beating Bluffton 10-2. 

Through 3 starts so far Jr. Nathan VanMeter is 2-0 w/ a 2.16 ERA.   

Obviously Whiteman and Carder are known commodities, but what about the starts that these two have had:

Erik Spitzer, So:  .391 w/ 17 RBI
Colton Newell, Fr:  .390 w/ 16 RBI

For what seems like the 100th straight year, a trip through the heart of the Fish lineup looks like a nightmare for opposing pitchers. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on March 14, 2009, 11:21:44 PM
BW finished the FL swing at 4-6.  3 very tough losses for a number of different reasons. The kids played very well the last 2 days and are looking forward to the OAC season getting underway.  Better competition down south this year, and the old saying, "its not how you start it's how you finish" seems to carry the day for BW right now.  They have very good team chemistry with solid veteran leadership and some young guys who will suprise a few folks.  I am optimistic about this year...it should be fun!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 16, 2009, 11:42:24 AM
Congratulations to Ohio Northern for defeating Adrian Mi. 3-0.   Looks like the young pitcher Fisher pitched very well.  By the game reports and stats, looked like Junior Miller (1-2) and Freshman Drerup (0-2)  had rough outtings, but senior Hill (2-1) had a good outting until the 6th inning.  Hope the team can continue to improve.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 16, 2009, 12:01:41 PM
Capital dropped three to Hanover over the weekend.  Two one run losses in a DH and a blowout 15-2 loss on Sunday's single game.

Cap is now 6-8 on the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 16, 2009, 05:24:50 PM
The Bergs first accolade of the season:

SR., LHP, DAVID PADDOCK is named OAC pitcher of the week for 3-16-09.  Dave is 3-0 and only allowed 1 earned run in 24 innings, with wins over John Jay, 22-0, St. Joseph, 14-0, and Piedmont, 4-0.  He had a career high 11 Ks against John Jay.

A big round of applause for David!!

GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 17, 2009, 07:59:15 AM
Further congrats to the Berg, they just jumped from 6th to 3rd in the top 25 in the D3 Baseball Poll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2009, 08:02:24 PM
MUC lost @ Walsh today despite their 21 hits, 13-12.  They took a 12-10 lead into the bottom of the 8th, but Walsh plated 2 in the 8th and the winner in the 9th on a 2 out double.  Quite frankly I'm a little concerned about the pitching right now.  They have a number of guys that can perform, but there's a lack of consistency right now outside of a couple guys.  Hopefully just working the kinks out early on.

On to the good...8 Raiders had multi hit performances led by Cory Slaybaugh and Dan Henderson both going 4-5.  Thus far 6 of their everyday starters are hitting over .370 (including 5 over .400). 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 18, 2009, 01:32:17 AM
The Berg and Bluffton have just put on a tremendous display of firepower this afternoon at Bluffton Memorial Stadium.
     The Berg had 51 AB, 29 RUNS, AND 24 HITS;   Bluffton had 46 AB, 20 RUNS, AND 23 HITS.
      Contributing for the Berg were:
      J Bault , 4-6, 5 RUNS, 6 RBI; J Wentworth, 3-7,  5 RUNS, 1 RBI; G Keene, 3-5, 3 RUNS, 4 RBI;
      T McClarney, 3-7, 3 RBI; W Brechund, 4-6, 5 RUNS, 3 RBI; S Decker, 2-7, 3 RUNS,  2 RBI;
      J Lash, 2-3, 4 RUNS, 3 RBI, 1 HR; B Boytim, 1-4, 1 RUN, 2 RBI.
      N James, 2-0 got the win.

      The Berg, 11-2 will travel to meet Ohio Wesleyan Weds, 3-18, at 4:00pm

      GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2009, 09:53:03 AM
Gramps, how is Bluffton's stadium?  I heard they were planning some major renovations but then there were some delays and problems.  How does it look?  Did they even complete the renovations?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 18, 2009, 10:18:04 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2009, 09:53:03 AM
Gramps, how is Bluffton's stadium?  I heard they were planning some major renovations but then there were some delays and problems.  How does it look?  Did they even complete the renovations?
Dr. Acula,  The stadium can be seen at the Bluffton Web site.  They have pictures of the dedication, and of the memorial section. I think that they have more to do, because they only have removable bleachers for the fans.  The scoreboard is nice and big, and they have student announcers, which I think is a nice touch.
The team dugouts are pro-style, in that they are actually lower than the ballfield. You do get a god view of the ballfield from the bleachers, and there is also room for folding chairs behind home plate.  It'll be a good experience just to see the memorial.  Gramps
PS   We'll also be at todays game at Ohio Wesleyan, so I'll probably have something to write on that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 18, 2009, 11:18:07 AM
Quote from: Gramps on March 18, 2009, 01:32:17 AM
      The Berg, 11-2 will travel to meet Ohio Wesleyan Weds, 3-18, at 4:00pm

      GO BERG!!!
Gramps.  OWU's record for the season is 5-6, not 3-18 just to let you know.   :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on March 18, 2009, 01:59:09 PM
Scots fan...  I am pretty sure 3-18 was in reference to todays date not OWU's record

As for Mount pitching it has so many screwed up components from the coaching aspects/philosophies to overall excecution by the players that if they dont get the ship righted and soon it could prove to be another mediocre year for the Purple Raiders despite their offense
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2009, 02:53:22 PM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on March 18, 2009, 01:59:09 PMAs for Mount pitching it has so many screwed up components from the coaching aspects/philosophies to overall excecution by the players that if they dont get the ship righted and soon it could prove to be another mediocre year for the Purple Raiders despite their offense

I was hoping you would post soon.  I'm down here trying to decipher things from stats and box scores.  What's the issue?  I would think boiling it down to it's simplest...right now they have a clear 1-2 going into OAC play in Mariotti and Irwin (although Mariotti has not been himself the last 2 times out).  Beyond that I assume you go with Thomas and Miller (?) as the other starters.  My issue has been that sometimes the coaching staff isn't sure what each guy's best role is.  The starters are clearly defined (and set in stone almost to a fault in my mind) but beyond that it's unclear.  It's hard to prepare when you don't know whether you're spot starting or closing that week.  I hope that's no longer the case, but I haven't followed it closely enough to say either way.  So what are your thoughts fundamentalswin?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 18, 2009, 07:38:31 PM
OAC is starting off this weekend. Who do you guys have winning the opening games of OAC play???
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 19, 2009, 12:22:40 AM
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 18, 2009, 11:18:07 AM
Quote from: Gramps on March 18, 2009, 01:32:17 AM
      The Berg, 11-2 will travel to meet Ohio Wesleyan Weds, 3-18, at 4:00pm

      GO BERG!!!
Gramps.  OWU's record for the season is 5-6, not 3-18 just to let you know.   :)
Thanks Scots Fan , but Weds date is 3-18 not 5-6.  As for OWU's record, it is now 6-6, as they defeated the Berg by a score of 7-6.
Jason Lash led the Berg, going 2-3, w/1 run scored, and a BB.
Gar Keene went 2-4, with 2 RBI
Derek Andrzejczak had a solo blast in top of the 7th.

Brian Koehl started and went 5 innings before being releaved by Elvin Williams, who was responsible for 1HIT and getting 3 Ks.

Heidelberg now stands at 11-3.

The OAC starts Sat. 3-21 with a doubleheader in Happy Valley vs. Marietta. 1st game 1:00PM, 2nd game 4:00PM.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 19, 2009, 12:55:52 AM
WHOOPS!! My bad,make that "Peaceful Valley" not "Happy Valley"  where the Berg and 'Etta will meet.

By the way, the Peaceful Valley complex has been improved with the addition of seating for fans. 

GO BERGS!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 19, 2009, 12:39:09 PM
who do you guys have winning the Musky BW games this weekend?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 19, 2009, 03:33:54 PM
Quote from: bballfanatic1984 on March 18, 2009, 07:38:31 PM
OAC is starting off this weekend. Who do you guys have winning the opening games of OAC play???

My predictions are:

Berg/Etta split--Obviously both very good teams.  It's in Tiffin, but Etta has also played great competition on the road already this year.  I'm not sure how I feel about a series that will be this crucial in determining the conference title being played the first weekend.  As a fan I would like it later in the year.

MUC sweeps Wilm--The Quakers seem to be struggling a little.  MUC can hit, we know that, but they also should get solid starting pitching this DH too.  It will be interesting to see how the pen is used in the 2nd game, but I still like MUC to sweep.  They proved to me last year that they can sweep the series they should and this appears to be one of those cases.

Musky/BW split--My initial reaction was to go with the Fish sweep, but I'm just not confident enough to take them on the road against a BW team that I just don't know anything about.

JCU/Cap split--Basically the same as above.  JCU should sweep I suppose, but their schedule to date hasn't been great and Cap is by no means a pushover.  It's the OAC, when in doubt assume a split.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 19, 2009, 05:51:15 PM
Quote from: Gramps on March 19, 2009, 12:22:40 AM
Thanks Scots Fan , but Weds date is 3-18 not 5-6.  As for OWU's record, it is now 6-6, as they defeated the Berg by a score of 7-6.
Sorry Gramps.  I guess I just saw you had the Berg's record after them and I was just assuming the 3-18 following OWU was what you thought their record was...  :-\

That will teach me for not reading more carefully...  :P
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 19, 2009, 07:34:43 PM
Thanks Dr. Acula
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 20, 2009, 10:29:23 AM
Cap scored 10 runs in the last three innings against Kenyon to win 13-7 and move their record to 7-8.

Tommy Stevison continues to hit well with a 2-4 day at the plate.

Cap seems to be hitting really well (although for NO power... they only have 2 HR's on the year as a TEAM), but their pitching is letting them down.  We'll see how it goes with the OAC season.  I think .500 will be a realistic goal.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 20, 2009, 04:02:31 PM
FYI: For those interested.  The Berg and 'Etta's doubleheader at Peaceful Valley this Saturday will be "ON THE AIR", and LIVE STATISTICS w/play by  play.  Select your choice by going on the Berg web site at:

http://www.heidelberg/edu/athletics//teams//baseball

ENJOY!!

GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 21, 2009, 09:31:47 AM
Good luck to all teams today... hopefully the Ohio weather will hold out for all of them
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 10:35:49 AM
Not sure about elsewhere, but it's clear and cool in Columbus right now. 

I'm stuck in the office all day today so I'll post score updates as I have time.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 01:28:05 PM
As expected, we've got Paddock and Knowlton going in Game 1.  Berg struck first and is up 1-0 going to the 3rd.

BW and Musky are scoreless in the 2nd.  If I'm not mistaken, Patterson is going for Musky and Fredericks for BW. 

No luck on the other 2 games right now. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 02:14:51 PM
Etta leads 6-2 in the top of the 6th.

BW and Musky tied 1-1 in the 5th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 21, 2009, 02:28:44 PM
a win for Marietta in game one will go a long way in taking any unneeded pressure off game two starter, Freshman Gasser (I'm guessing he'll be the game two starter, unless Stewart gets the nod).


Marietta now leads 7-2, heading to the bottom of the 7th.

the action can be heard live online at http://www.wmoa1490.com/
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 21, 2009, 02:40:21 PM
Stewart came in to close out the 7th for Marietta.

FINAL

#18 Marietta - 7
#3 Heidelberg - 2
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 03:02:47 PM
FINAL--Musky 2, BW 1

Both starters go the distance allowing 1 ER each, but the Fish score on a sac fly in the top of the 7th and close it out.  Brandon Fredericks falls to 0-3 and Jared Patterson improves to 3-0.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 04:42:02 PM
Musky leads the 2nd game 4-0 going to the bottom of the 6th.  BW needs to get the bats going.

Brock Whiteman just came out of the game.  He went down grabbing his hamstring after going 1st to 3rd on a double.  Hopefully it's just a cramp. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 04:44:59 PM
Etta leads 11-6 after 5.  You can't make 5 errors against a team like Marietta, they're just too good and they'll make you pay.  The good news for the Berg is there's still 4 innings to go.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 05:08:56 PM
7th inning stretch time...

Musky 9, BW 0


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 21, 2009, 06:14:48 PM
Went to Ada to watch some baseball, expected to see a good game, but not as good as it was.  In game 1, Senior Brian Hill threw a 3 hit shutout, striking out 10 to lead the Polar Bears to a 4-0 win.  In game two, Davenport came out swinging and put up 4 runs.  Going into the 7th, ONU had had only 3 hits.  In the 7th, they put up 4 runs to tie the game with 2 outs, and a man on first and third.  A walk to Freshman Matt Hampshire brought up Sophomore Erik Stegman.   Stegman blasted a game winning Grand Slam to give the Polar Bears an 8-4 win.  Congrats to the Polar Bears!  BEating 21-4 (now 21-6) Davenport.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 06:30:15 PM
Nice to see baseball in person again, let alone a game like that!  Good day for the Bears.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2009, 06:35:22 PM
MUC sweeps Wilm. 11-10 and 7-0.

Musky finished off BW 10-0 to complete the sweep.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 21, 2009, 08:17:46 PM
By the looks of what Dr. Acula posted it looks like BW is going to have to wake their bats up if the want to be in the OAC tourney ... Musky congrats on the sweep on the road
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on March 21, 2009, 09:43:10 PM
BW will be OK w/ the bats, tough one at the yard today though, and the scores reflect it. 

In the operner Musky's Patterson and BW's Fredericks each faced 3 over the minumum and both pitched great games.  In the 2nd game, Musky's Fryer did extremely well, and BW's Jaskowak after giving up 3 earned, settled down and pitched well.  The rest is history. 

Whiteman's was injured in the 2nd game, pulling up between 2nd and 3rd w/ what appeared to be a severe hamstring pull.  He was on the floor at 3rd for quite sometime, and walked off limping.  Hope all is Ok w/ him.

Intersesting day in the OAC.  It is going to fun to be a part of it again this season!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 22, 2009, 01:11:54 AM
Cap and JCU split today. 

Cap won the opener 8-6 as catcher Zach Byers went 2-3 with 2 RBI and 2b Steve Veenstra went 2-4 with an RBI.  Josh Belknap picked up the win in relief going 2 and 2/3 and giving up only 2 runs.  Cap scored all 8 of their runs in the 5th and Belknap made the lead stand up.  JCU's catcher Chris Cairo went 3-4 with 2 RBI for the Streaks.

JCU took the second game 18-6 as Cairo went 4-5 with 4 RBI, 1b Tom Hickey also went 4-5 with 4 RBI, and 3b Brian Benander went 2-5 but scored 5 runs.  JCU's Chris Koller got the win on the hill to go to 5-0 on the season.  Cap 1b Ian Smith went 4-6 with an RBI and Veenstra went 2-5 with an RBI for Cap.  Justin Stegman took the loss for the Crusaders.

Next up for Cap is Hiram tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on March 22, 2009, 10:32:38 AM
Congrats to Marietta on a sweep of #3 Heidelberg yesterday in Tiffin. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2009, 03:07:11 PM
Wanted to give some comments on the MUC/Wilm DH now that I had a chance to read the game stories and box scores...

I'm worried and excited about game 1.  I'm worried because Mariotti struggled a little bit again and seemed to be having issues with his control.  He walked 5 in 2.2 innings yesterday including 4 straight in the 1st.  Luckily he's also extrememly talented so he's got strikeout stuff that gets him out of jams.  I'm very excited because the Raiders trailed 10-3 going into the top of the 6th.  They scored 7 and tied it on Slaybaugh's Grand Slam that inning, then took the lead on Knott's HR in the 8th.  That was each guy's 4th HR of the season. 

Boy is Joe Irwin throwing well for MUC right now.  He threw a CG shutout in game 2 and had his 2nd consecutive start not allowing a run.  Lewis for Wilmington had a very solid start as well (6.1 inn, 2 ER) in a game that featured all of one extra base hit combined.         
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2009, 03:22:03 PM
For the sake of conversation, here are the team batting averages as of this morning:

MUC  .379
Berg  .354
Musky  .338
Cap  .336
ONU  .317
JCU  .310
BW  .305
Etta  .295
Ott  .286
Wilm  .266
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2009, 03:26:17 PM
And here are the team ERA's...

Ott 2.38
Musky  3.22
JCU  3.57
Berg  3.78
Etta  4.86
MUC  5.81
Wilm  6.40
ONU  6.98
BW  7.12
Cap  8.59

I'm impressed by Musky's pitching numbers across the board.  Excellent opp BA, total runs allowed, etc.  I think that's the surprise so far to me.  Only time will tell if they can keep it up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on March 22, 2009, 03:34:44 PM
The win in game one of MUC/Wilmington was blessing and curse at the same time.  The win is great MUC gets off to a great start and eventually moves to 2-0 in the conference but the curse is more worry some.  Knowing the staff there nothing is going to change in philosophy because the results were a win.  The problem stems from the entire approach.  The team has a great depth of quality arms but you would never know that from the box scores because the depth isnt utilized.  Certain people get more opportunities than others plain and simple instead of things being earned and there being a living breathing bullpen fueled by competition thus establishing a pecking order in those roles from the closer on down to the long reliever.  Couple that with an expectation of the starters finishing the game instead of getting as many quality outs as you can and utilizing depth.  The problems with Mariotti are mental but are compounded because there is very little teaching of pitching by the coaching staff and thus when someone struggles there is not support system.  For him to get on the right track he has to trust his stuff again and pound the strike zone on a consistent basis with multiple pitches
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2009, 04:08:38 PM
That's not what I wanted to hear fundamentalswin!  But sadly, as a former MUC baseball player myself I know all too well what you're referring to.  That's what I meant in my post the other day regarding the starting rotation being set in stone.  If guys aren't answering the bell you need to give other guys a shot. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 22, 2009, 06:47:56 PM
Jusy like like last year, the Berg has lost the Conference openers to Marietta.  After the loses last year, the Berg went on to a 13-1 run in the next 14 games, and this years team is potentially a better team than last years.  It will be up to the team leaders to inspire their team mates to play up to that potential.

As to yesterdays game one, J. Wentworth and W. Brechun had 2 hits each, and Travis McClarney racked up the first HR of his collegiate career.  Good going "T-MAC".

In game two, J. Wentworth had 3 hits, 1 run, and 1 RBI, while T. McClarney had 2 hits.  But the hit of the day, was Derek Andrzejczak's, pronounced (Andrej - chak), GRAND SLAM in the 3rd inning. Great job, Derek.

     Next game: Denison at Granville  -  Tues. 3/24  -  4:00PM

     GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on March 22, 2009, 07:52:30 PM
Cap beat Hiram today to even their record at 9-9.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 24, 2009, 12:07:01 AM
Some thoughts on my visit to Peaceful Valley last week.  They are continuing with the renovations with the addition of 102 stadium seats.  I hear that bleachers will be added behind each section of seats.
Also, a new scoreboard was partially completed behind right center field. Have not heard when it will be completed.  Will add updates as they are being done.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 24, 2009, 01:59:54 PM
Curious what everyone thinks of this weekends games...

LOTS of OAC matchups! 

Let me know!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 24, 2009, 08:31:13 PM
Marietta will sweep Cap
Heidelberg will sweep Musky
ONU will split with MUC
BW will split with JCU
Otterbein will probably sweep Wilmington*


*havent seen Otterbein in OAC play yet so not too sure
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2009, 09:32:02 PM
Quote from: JK on March 22, 2009, 07:52:30 PM
Cap beat Hiram today to even their record at 9-9.

And MUC beat them today 14-0.  They must be a little light in the offense department to get shutout by the Raiders!   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2009, 09:39:25 PM
Quote from: bballfanatic1984 on March 24, 2009, 08:31:13 PM
Marietta will sweep Cap  Agree
Heidelberg will sweep Musky  Agree
ONU will split with MUC  Just to change it up I'll take MUC to sweep.  Plus I'm a homer, obviously.
BW will split with JCU  Agree
Otterbein will probably sweep Wilmington*  Agree minus the "probably" part.  I guess I haven't seen them either but Ott has good pitching, Wilm has poor hitting...I think this is the 2nd safest pick behind Etta.


*havent seen Otterbein in OAC play yet so not too sure
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on March 24, 2009, 10:31:12 PM
Musky's Whiteman did not play today against Wittenberg, they dropped 2.  That kid can flat out hit, and I hope he is on the mend soon. 

The weather is not looking good for NE Ohio this weekend, so I say anything goes for those of us playing up North. 

BW's bats will come around, lets hope it starts w/ DII Lake Erie tomorrow.

Best of luck to all!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 25, 2009, 12:49:36 AM
Congrats to "THE BERG" on their 11-6 victory over Denison on Tues. at The Big Red Ballpark.

Also, a pat on the back to B. Boytim, "Killer Bbs", on having a great game: 4-5, 2 RBIs, and 2 Rs.
Chipping in with 2 hits each were:  M. Grassley, J. Lash, D. Andrzeczak, and S. Decker.

A big tip of the hat to Elvin Williams on his first collegiate win. I'm sure that it will be the first of many for this fine young pitcher.

THE BERG meets Case Western Reserve up in Cleveland on Weds. 3-25-09 at 4:00PM.

GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 25, 2009, 09:32:02 AM
Quote from: Gramps on March 25, 2009, 12:49:36 AM
THE BERG meets Case Western Reserve up in Cleveland on Weds. 3-25-09 at 4:00PM.

Good luck getting that one in...  :P
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 25, 2009, 09:34:21 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2009, 09:39:25 PM
Quote from: bballfanatic1984 on March 24, 2009, 08:31:13 PM
Marietta will sweep Cap  Agree
Heidelberg will sweep Musky  Agree
ONU will split with MUC  Just to change it up I'll take MUC to sweep.  Plus I'm a homer, obviously.
BW will split with JCU  Agree
Otterbein will probably sweep Wilmington*  Agree minus the "probably" part.  I guess I haven't seen them either but Ott has good pitching, Wilm has poor hitting...I think this is the 2nd safest pick behind Etta.


*havent seen Otterbein in OAC play yet so not too sure

Ill agree with the Marietta Sweep over Cap
Ill say Heidelberg will split with Musky
After watching ONU play this past week i would have to go to the opposite end and say that they will Sweep or split with MUC
Otterbein SHOULD sweep Wilmington
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2009, 11:58:21 AM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 25, 2009, 09:34:21 AM
Ill agree with the Marietta Sweep over Cap
Ill say Heidelberg will split with Musky
After watching ONU play this past week i would have to go to the opposite end and say that they will Sweep or split with MUC
Otterbein SHOULD sweep Wilmington

I liked the Musky split as my change of pace pick, but I'm not sold if Whiteman is out.  I wasn't confident enough to back them against the Berg minus the OAC POY.  But then I go ahead and pick a team with inconsistent pitching to sweep.  Guess that's why I stick with my day job.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on March 25, 2009, 09:08:51 PM
The Etta Express rolls on....defeated Denison tonight 8-1 Jason Baumler gets the win - congrats to the young men of Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 25, 2009, 10:36:59 PM
BW beat Lake Erie today 12-8. Brian Boveington had a really nice game and Freshman Josh Scott pitched really well... its good to see good pitching performances from the young Jackets
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 26, 2009, 12:33:40 AM
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 25, 2009, 09:32:02 AM
Quote from: Gramps on March 25, 2009, 12:49:36 AM
THE BERG meets Case Western Reserve up in Cleveland on Weds. 3-25-09 at 4:00PM.

Good luck getting that one in...  :P
Thanks "ScotsFan", the rain held off, and the weather was no problem as Heidelberg U posted a 21-2 victory over Case Western Reserve U.
Double "B", Sr, 1st, Biagio Boytim had his second "Awesome Day" in a row, with a 4-4, 5 RBIs, and 2 Runs scored.  Contributing were J. Lash, 3-4, 1 RBI, 3 Runs; G. Keene, 3-4, 1 RBI, 2 Runs, W. Brechun, 3-5,   2 RBI, 1 Run. and T. McClarney, and  S. Decker with 2 Runs each.

Special mention goes to Elvin Williams, whose family and friends, from nearby Euclid, were there to cheer him on.  He rewarded them by hitting an in-the-park Grand Slam  HR as he went 2-2 at the plate with 4 RBIs.

Nathan James, So, RHP,  picked up his third win of the season while limiting Case to 3 hits over 5 innings and picking up 4 Ks along the way.

Sat 3-28-09 vs Muskingum - DH - 1:00PM  and  4:00PM at New Concord.

GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 26, 2009, 11:49:21 PM
FYI!!  For fans of both Heidelberg and Muskingum:  Muskingum will air Saturdays doubleheader at:

http://www.muskingum.edu/home/athletics/broadcast.html

Enjoy the games.

GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2009, 04:11:53 PM
I'm going to be in the office all day tomorrow so I will post updates as I can.  The good thing is I can keep tabs on 3 games at once (Berg and MUC via live stats and 1 of the other 2 via audio).  Marietta may have live stats, I should check...

Have a good weekend everyone and let's hope the rain holds off!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 27, 2009, 05:28:31 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2009, 04:11:53 PM
I'm going to be in the office all day tomorrow so I will post updates as I can.  The good thing is I can keep tabs on 3 games at once (Berg and MUC via live stats and 1 of the other 2 via audio).  Marietta may have live stats, I should check...

Have a good weekend everyone and let's hope the rain holds off!
Dr. Acula: Just checked the weather forecast for New Concord on the weather channel.  Rain is supposed to hold off until late PM.  We will be coming down for the games. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 27, 2009, 06:01:29 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2009, 04:11:53 PM
I'm going to be in the office all day tomorrow so I will post updates as I can.  The good thing is I can keep tabs on 3 games at once (Berg and MUC via live stats and 1 of the other 2 via audio).  Marietta may have live stats, I should check...

Have a good weekend everyone and let's hope the rain holds off!

Marietta always has LIVE stats and AUDIO.

stats at - http://www.marietta.edu/athletics/


audio at WMOA - http://www.wmoa1490.com/




Marietta improves to 10-3 with a win over Washington & Jefferson this evening, 10-7.  Tyler Penwell hit the go ahead grandslam in the 8th inning for the Etta Express.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 28, 2009, 08:34:09 AM
FYI!!!   MUSKINGUM AND HEIDELBERG FANS:

GAMES CANCELLED FOR TODAY . EXPECT 80% CHANCE OF RAIN AT 4:00PM AROUND NEW CONCORD.

WILL NOTIFY ALL WHEN I KNOW RESCHEDULE DATE.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on March 28, 2009, 08:39:54 AM
ONU @ MUC is on for today...

First pitch of the day has been moved up to 1215 pm
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 10:19:31 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on March 27, 2009, 06:01:29 PMMarietta always has LIVE stats and AUDIO.

stats at - http://www.marietta.edu/athletics/


audio at WMOA - http://www.wmoa1490.com/

Thanks mideast, I figured they did but I usually listen to their audio since it's the best of all the schools.

And thanks fundamentals for the heads up on the ONU/MUC game. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 28, 2009, 10:38:00 AM
FYI:    MUSKINGUM AND HEIDELBERG FANS

BOTH COLLEGE WEBSITES HAVE THE GAMES RESCHEDULED FOR 1:00PM TOMORROW, BUT THE WEATHER CHANNEL PREDICTS RAIN SHOWERS FOR  SUNDAY, SO BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR SCHOOL'S WEB SITE FOR FURTHER DETAILS.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 28, 2009, 10:54:59 AM
hopefully the weather holds and teams can get games in today (or Sunday)

Schedule:

Capital at Marietta (postponed to Sunday)
Ohio Northern at Mount Union
John Carroll at Baldwin-Wallace
Heidelberg at Muskingum (postponed to Sunday)
Wimington at Otterbein (Sunday)


OAC Standings:

Mount Union             2-0    (10-2)
Marietta                  2-0    (10-3)
Muskingum               2-0    (10-6)
John Carroll              1-1    (10-4)
Capital                    1-1     (7-9)
Otterbein                 0-0     (6-5)
Ohio Northern           0-0     (8-7)
Heidelberg                0-2    (13-5)
Baldwin-Wallace        0-2     (6-8)
Wilmington               0-2     (3-9)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 12:23:34 PM
Well, my plan to update scores has already hit a bump as MUC has elected to go live audio for the baseball game and live stats for softball since both are at home.  The only problem is that "live audio" once again today actually means "Non-stop Oldies" as opposed to play-by-play.  Hopefully the game will come on at some point, but first pitch was at noon and it's still not on.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 12:31:34 PM
Ahhhhh, the game is a half hour late starting.  It looks like I may be getting some audio of the ONU/MUC game after all.  And there's a link for live stats now too.  I knew my alma mater would come through for me!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 01:59:10 PM
MUC leads ONU 6-0 middle of 5.  Mariotti has 8 K's and 1 H allowed through 5 for Mount.

Marietta/Cap and Berg/Musky are ppd until Sunday at 1pm.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 02:02:31 PM
BW leads JCU 11-4 after 5.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 02:47:08 PM
Final--BW 13, JCU 5

Both teams are now 1-2 in OAC play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 03:41:56 PM
Through 4 innings...ONU 3, MUC 1
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 04:12:57 PM
ONU 6, MUC 1 after 6.

The Bears have scored all 6 of their runs w/ 2 outs.  If you're MUC, you just have to get out of one of those innings without damage.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2009, 05:53:23 PM
Final--ONU 11, MUC 7. 

The Bears get multi-hit efforts from 6 guys.  They really bounced back nicely when you consider they were facing the OAC leader in ERA in game 2 a half hour after being 2 hit.  That's a great sign if you're an ONU fan because they refocused and battled back for the road split. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 28, 2009, 09:33:38 PM
Tried to get Updates for the ONU/MUC game but it looked like SP Brian Hill in game one had no help.  After the first 2 innings looked like he settled down and pitched well.  Marriotti seemed tough on the hitters, though in game 2, ONU Pounded the ball.  Congrats to both teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 29, 2009, 09:29:53 AM
Marietta vs Capital has now been rescheduled for Monday at 4pm.
Heidelberg at Muskingum has been moved to Monday.
Wilmington at Otterbein has been moved to Monday as well.


ONU and Mount split yesterday.  (7-0 MTU, 11-7 ONU)
JCU and BW split yesterday as well.  (13-5 BW, 7-3 JCU)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 30, 2009, 08:21:50 AM
HEIDELBERG AT MUSKINGUM  Games on, sunny and 47 at 1:00PM and sunny and 53 at 4:00PM in New Concord. 
Listen at Muskingum web site.
GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 30, 2009, 02:13:48 PM
Can BW still play for an OAC spot in the playoffs with a 1 and 3 record, and still having to go through the big three (MUC, BERG, Marietta)?

Hopefully all the OAC teams that didn't play over the weekend can get their games in.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2009, 05:42:45 PM
Berg swept Musky today.  They're both 2-2 in the OAC now.  Didn't catch the score of game 1, but game 2 was 7-3.  It was tied 3-3 after 6.  Hopefully Gramps will have some details for us later.

Also, Etta was leading Cap 4-2 in the 5th inning of their game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 30, 2009, 06:08:04 PM
Marietta wins game one against Capital 7-2.  Knowlton gets the complete game victory.

Marietta takes game two 4-3 in come from behind fashion.  Cimino hits a 3-run HR in the 6th, and Merryman came in to get the final 9 outs for the save.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Otterbein sweeps Wilmington
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 30, 2009, 08:36:56 PM
updated standings....


Marietta 4-0
Otterbein 2-0
Mount Union 3-1
Heidelberg 2-2
Muskingum 2-2
John Carroll 2-2
Ohio Northern 1-1
Capital 1-3
Baldwin-Wallace 1-3
Wilmington 0-4
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 30, 2009, 11:47:52 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2009, 05:42:45 PM
Berg swept Musky today.  They're both 2-2 in the OAC now.  Didn't catch the score of game 1, but game 2 was 7-3.  It was tied 3-3 after 6.  Hopefully Gramps will have some details for us later.

Also, Etta was leading Cap 4-2 in the 5th inning of their game.
Game 1 - Heidelberg - 8      Muskingum - 4
Game 2 - Heidelberg - 7      Muskingum - 3

First, congrats to Biagio Boytim, on  acheiving the honor of the OAC "HITTER OF THE WEEK".

D. Paddock pitched 6-1/3  allowing 7 Hits, with 7 Ks. A. Lowe finished the game for his 3rd save of the year

Leading the hitters were B.Boytim, 2-4, 1 RBI, J. Wentworth, 2-3, and G. Keene and M. Grassley with 2 RBIs each.
Steve Decker contributed with a towering HR over the LF fence.

In game  two, E. Thomas pitched 5 innings with 5 HITS and 7 Ks.  A.Lowe came in to relieve in 6th and got his first win of the season with a 1 HIT and a 3 K outing.


The Berg came up with 3 runs in the 6th inning  to tie the Muskies with a 2 RBI dbl by B.Boytim and an RBI by M. Grassley.  They went ahead in the 7th with a walk to J. Wentworth, a dbl by J. Lash, and a pinch hit single by D.Andrzejczak.  Two insurance runs were added in the 8th.

Leading the hitters, were B. Boytim, 2-5, 2 RBIs, 1 Run and J. Lash, 3-5 (2 Dbls)
3 RBIs AND 1 Run. Chipping in with 1 Hit each were D. Andrzejczak, J. J. Ciennik, M Grassley and W. Brechun.  J. Wentworth scored 2 Runs.

Heidelberg takes a two-game break from league action beginning with Division II the University of Findlay tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. at Peaceful Valley. The Berg then hosts Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. before entertaining OAC foe Otterbein College on Saturday. Fans are reminded that they can follow all the action for the week online at www.heidelberg.edu/statcrew/mbb/xlive.htm.





























Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 31, 2009, 08:43:10 AM
Marietta has some tough non-conference action this week....

Tues - Franklin (Ind).
Wed - at Wooster
Thurs - at Ohio Wesleyan

and back to the OAC with a DH on the road at John Carroll this Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 31, 2009, 10:53:01 AM
Quote from: Gramps on March 30, 2009, 11:47:52 PM
First, congrats to Biagio Boytim, on  acheiving the honor of the OAC "HITTER OF THE WEEK".
I nominate him for name of the week honors as well!   ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 31, 2009, 06:43:46 PM
BW beat Case Western today 9-1. Good win for the Jackets! Luthman pitched a very good game. Nordquist threw 2 guys out one stealing second and the other he picked off at first.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 31, 2009, 06:44:27 PM
in non-conference action, Marietta defeated Franklin (Ind). tonight 18-4.  Marietta got a great pitching performance from Baumler, who threw 6 strong innings.

They also had 7 Homeruns on the day....2 each from Cimino and Beaty.  Cimino now has 4 in his last three games.

Tomorrow, the Etta Express heads to Wooster, and then travels to Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 31, 2009, 07:46:53 PM
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 31, 2009, 10:53:01 AM
Quote from: Gramps on March 30, 2009, 11:47:52 PM
First, congrats to Biagio Boytim, on  acheiving the honor of the OAC "HITTER OF THE WEEK".
I nominate him for name of the week honors as well!   ;D

Thanks ScotsFan,  he's named after his grandfather with that very proud Italian first name and his father's  Czechoslovakian last name.  Sort of rolls off the tongue, doesn't it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 31, 2009, 08:03:52 PM
I really have no stats, but Heidelberg took 10 innings to defeat Findlay 7-6.  Thats five
Ws in a row, taking their record to 16-5.

Heidelberg next meets Ohio Wesleyan on Wed. at 4:00PM at home. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 31, 2009, 09:53:48 PM
How does any team play without a pitching coach... Ohio Northern has NO pitching coach... what are reactions to this
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on March 31, 2009, 10:44:55 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 31, 2009, 09:53:48 PM
How does any team play without a pitching coach... Ohio Northern has NO pitching coach... what are reactions to this

I would try and talk to the coach or talk to the AD about that. See if they could bring in a pitching coach. If they don't agree about bringing in a pitching coach... then that might not be a program you would want to be a part of. But to answer your question I think its terrible that ONU has no pitching coach. Pitchers need some sort of direction. THey need a coach that can look at a pitchers mechanics and tell you when you are doing things right and things that you are doing wrong. Thats the only way a pitcher can get better is by having someone critique their mechanics. I have to ask you a question though... What pitcher would want to go to a school that doesn't have a pitching coach?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2009, 11:07:16 AM
I will never understand this.  When I went to MUC we had a pitching coach.  He helped us with mechanics and the like, but his biggest job was mental stuff.  He was great at reading our players and knowing how to motivate/calm/critique/praise each guy in the most effective manner.  When he left our head coach took over as pitching coach and our staff suffered.  You just can't expect the head coach to be the pitching coach unless he has such strong assistants elsewhere that he can devote almost 100% of his time to the pitchers.  Pitchers are weird and I think it would be very difficult to coach them if you've never pitched.  This is especially true of the mental aspect.  There's a certain mindset when it comes to the battle with the batter and you can't understand it unless you've done it.

I guess that was a longwinded way of saying I think ONU's situation is a shame.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 01, 2009, 08:31:08 PM
I think its ridiculous too.  My son played baseball against Senior Brian Hill, and my son was coached in pitching by Brian also.  He said that Brian knew all of his stuff and helped with mechanics and the mental approach... possibly this is where the pitching gets its leadership?  If not him, im not sure who then, because they are a young staff.  My son also said that Brian is going to coach him again when he returns to Dayton this summer.  It is just a crying shame that there is no COACH guidance to help this situation.  If you hadn't noticed, i am a fan of ONU just because of what Mr. Hill has done for my son and his high school team.  Im not trying to be bias on any of these posts, i just wanted to get some reaction to this tragedy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 01, 2009, 10:04:03 PM
While I completely understand the problem at ONU and sympathize with the concerns you are making just understand that no pitching coach may be better than the wrong pitching coach.  Let me tell you that it has been my experience that the wrong pitching coach not only does not fill his job description.  He doesn't teach, he doesn't motivate and he doesn't manage and the big question is what does he do?  Well the answer is nothing but make the continuous wrong decisions that talent has to overcome if MUC is to win ball games.  Having no coach is bad but having the wrong coach who is incompetent at his job makes the situation worse than having no coach at all.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2009, 10:35:37 PM
I know some people might read fundamentals' post and think "Now that's just a bitter MUC guy railing against the coach."  Well, I'm not one of those people because I would have written pretty much that exact post when I was at MUC myself.  And I was even one of those guys in the good graces that always got the ball, even when I didn't deserve it.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2009, 10:47:46 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 01, 2009, 08:31:08 PM
He said that Brian knew all of his stuff and helped with mechanics and the mental approach... possibly this is where the pitching gets its leadership?  If not him, im not sure who then, because they are a young staff.

Every team needs the veterans to step up and lead.  They can set the tone in practice, in preparation, etc.  Brian already has the responsibility of being a front line starter for them.  He should be an example in practice and help out the young guys as much as he can, but his primary job is to work on HIS stuff to help ONU win games.  I feel sorry for him if he has to wear both hats, so to speak because that's not fair to him or his teammates.  And I also feel sorry if there's no one there to help him if he's struggling with anything himself. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 01, 2009, 11:03:00 PM
Dr. Acula,
I just spoke to my son who said he called Brian today.  I guess Brian threw against Defiance today 3 & 2/3 innings, 2 hits, 6 k's.  Got the W.  He asked him if Brian was the basic pitching coach, but Brian said most younger guys looked to him for answers and he gave them those answers, but it was hard to get answers for his own pitching.  I guess the team Tapes Brian while he is on the mound and in the bullpen and he takes hours out of his nights to look over the tapes and figure out what he is doing wrong.  Talk about a strong kid...   I just wish they would get someone in there to help these boys.  They are GOOD pitchers, with GOOD arms, but no one to look to but a lonely senior.  My son said he could tell Brian seemed stressed, but from what i have seen, BRian is happy-go-lucky and just loves to play the game.  Some day, i wish this coach would listen up and realize he NEEDS a pitching coach.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 02, 2009, 12:45:37 AM
Just got home from "Happy Valley" on the Heidelberg campus, and the Berg fans are happy again today as they beat Ohio Wesleyan in 11 innings by the score of 6-5. After being behind most of the game, the Berg tied the game and went into extra innings. In the Berg half of the 11th inning, L. B. 
Emrhein started things off with a single, followed by a walk to J. Wentworth bringing up Jason Lash to the plate.  He responded with a RBI single to right field driving in the winning run.  B. Boytin had  a HR, G. Keene had 3 RBIs, and A. Lowe got the win.
     Sorry for the abreviated summary of the game, but it's getting late, and it was a long drive home.



















b
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 02, 2009, 10:32:09 AM
Dr. Acula,

Fact is that I am living it now and even though I make these comments and it may seem I get the shaft the opposite is true.  I play but the simple truth to anyone wondering why MUC isnt competitive on a consistent basis cannot be based on the talent level at the school.  They have loads of talent whether it is hitting it throwing it or catching it but unforutatley if MUC EVER wants to compete at the levels of Marietta, Heidelberg, and Otterbein it has to develop the people who throw it.  There is loads of raw talent at the Jr and So. level on this team but the simple truth is that despite their experience and some good leadership by players the majority of these players (Jr. and So.) are still the same pitchers they were in HS.  I am pretty sure Mideastfan and Gramps will tell you that doesnt happen at the elite schools in this conference. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2009, 11:51:01 AM
fundamentals, I'm on the same page as you.  I wasn't implying that you were a guy mad about not playing.  I was trying to say quite the opposite because I thought non-MUC people might mistakenly read your post that way.  I guess what I was trying to convey (albeit poorly) was that those of us that went to MUC know exactly what you're talking about and we feel your pain.  Anyone that has been in the program knows exactly what you mean and it has nothing to do w/ whether that individual starts or never plays.  If you attended practice every day, you know what you're talking about.  Your comment about juniors being no better than when they came in is my biggest gripe in a nutshell.  Sure there is some level of progress, but it's due solely to increased practice time, more games and physical maturation over your HS years.  Somewhere in that equation should be fine tuning your skills as a player based on input from coaches.  Until that improves they will be fighting for the 4th spot most years.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 02, 2009, 03:48:00 PM
Sorry about the abreviated version of the Heidelberg win over Ohio Wesleyan last night.  As exciting as the 11th inning was, it would have never happened without the heroics of a couple of other timely hits by J. Wentworth with a RBI single and G. Keene with a single that plated two runs to tie the game in the 9th inning.

Many thanks to the Berg players for an exciting and entertaining game.  It shows the character of both the team and the training of the coaches that you are never beaten till the last out. 

Heidelberg now stands at 17-5 and will meet Otterbein Sat. 4-4-09, for a conference doubleheader
in Peaceful Valley begining at 1:00PM.

GO BERGS!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 02, 2009, 07:42:47 PM
im new here but i gotta agree with both Dr. Acula and fundimentalswin. i cant see how a team can operate without a pitching coach. I also have seen what happens when bad coaching sets in. ive seen high school coaches who allow a whole 5 minutes for a pitcher to warm up, then go right on the mound to throw 120 pitch bullpen sessions. then no ice. he doesnt believe in ice. I found in interesting that this topic has come up right when ONU played Defiance College this week. DC's pitching coach is Mark Sankovich from Poler Bear and 2008 First-Team All OAC and All Mid-east Region fame.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on April 02, 2009, 08:27:33 PM
Congrats to BW for beating the number 7 team in the nation Wooster. The bats really came alive, they won 17-8... if the jackets keep playing like that they could earn a berth to the OAC playoffs
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2009, 09:07:25 PM
Quote from: bballfanatic1984 on April 02, 2009, 08:27:33 PM
Congrats to BW for beating the number 7 team in the nation Wooster. The bats really came alive, they won 17-8... if the jackets keep playing like that they could earn a berth to the OAC playoffs

That's a good win for the Jackets.  Didn't they beat CoW last year also? 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2009, 10:47:45 PM
Well, we might as well start talking about our first full slate of OAC games Saturday.  I'll be the sacrificial lamb and make my predictions first.

BW @ ONU -- Split.  Too close to call for me.
Marietta @ JCU -- Pios sweep again.  Nothing made me even consider JCU splitting this one. 
Musky @ Wilm -- Fish sweep.  The Quakers don't seem to be very strong this year.
MUC @ Cap -- Split.  I picked MUC to sweep last week and look what happened.  I'm saying split based on the reverse jinx coupled with Cap's pitching looking fairly solid against Etta.  That being said, MUC really NEEDS to sweep here.   
Ott @ Berg -- Berg sweeps.  This was the toughest call of the week for me.  I really think Ott has the pitching to win, but I know nothing about their lineup this year.  Berg is hot so I said eff it, maybe they'll sweep.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on April 02, 2009, 11:06:48 PM
2nd year in row for BW over Wooster.  The kids got fired  up after dropping the 2nd game last Saturday to JCU.  It should be really interesting how things unfold as we get deeper in the season.  BW's defense had some issues today, but they can hit and the pitching is coming around. 

As far as the coaching (pitching) goes, at the end of day the kids are playing college ball, and they need to find help, either w/ the coach they have or elsewhere.  You would be amazed at the help the kids can get if they just ask.

Good luck to all this weekend



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on April 02, 2009, 11:43:09 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2009, 10:47:45 PM
Well, we might as well start talking about our first full slate of OAC games Saturday.  I'll be the sacrificial lamb and make my predictions first.

BW @ ONU -- Split.  Too close to call for me.
Marietta @ JCU -- Pios sweep again.  Nothing made me even consider JCU splitting this one. 
Musky @ Wilm -- Fish sweep.  The Quakers don't seem to be very strong this year.
MUC @ Cap -- Split.  I picked MUC to sweep last week and look what happened.  I'm saying split based on the reverse jinx coupled with Cap's pitching looking fairly solid against Etta.  That being said, MUC really NEEDS to sweep here.   
Ott @ Berg -- Berg sweeps.  This was the toughest call of the week for me.  I really think Ott has the pitching to win, but I know nothing about their lineup this year.  Berg is hot so I said eff it, maybe they'll sweep.


I well have to agree on all of these except i think BW will sweep ONU since they are pumped after a big win over Wooster, and they are playing with a chip on their shoulder from last weekend losing that second game to JCU. They have won 5 out of the last 6 games as well.

And i would have to say MUC will sweep Capital. Marriotti pitched his heart out last weekend earning pitcher of the week, and i think that will get them jump started to have a good weekend this weekend. They have a solid lineup and i think the flood gates are going to open with the bats on this game for MUC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 03, 2009, 12:38:14 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2009, 10:47:45 PM

Marietta @ JCU -- Pios sweep again.  Nothing made me even consider JCU splitting this one. 


that being said, am i missing something in the strength of JCU's schedule or something? keeping my eyes on the top 25, i keep seeing them receiving votes week in and week out. i know it is never enough to get close to the actual top 25, but i was just curious. do they have an actual claim to these votes or just a couple of buddies in the media in cleveland.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 03, 2009, 08:37:34 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on April 03, 2009, 12:38:14 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2009, 10:47:45 PM

Marietta @ JCU -- Pios sweep again.  Nothing made me even consider JCU splitting this one. 


that being said, am i missing something in the strength of JCU's schedule or something? keeping my eyes on the top 25, i keep seeing them receiving votes week in and week out. i know it is never enough to get close to the actual top 25, but i was just curious. do they have an actual claim to these votes or just a couple of buddies in the media in cleveland.

this is just my guess, but I've been around long enough to have some sort of knowledge on the subject...they started off looking strong with a good spring trip, although they dind't play any good competition.  At that pint they started receiving votes in the poll b/c of their record.  Once a team receives some votes they usually just stay the course and keep receiving a few votes here and there (if they are near the bottom of the top 25) b/c it's too much work for every pollster to research every team.

It's sort of the same thing as a team starting the year in the top 5 and going 13-5, versus a team starting at number 25 and going 13-5.  You are going to maintain your starting position, and usually not rise or fall too many spots as long as you keep winning some games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on April 03, 2009, 09:35:28 AM
I wouldn't put too much credence in the BW win over Wooster after the 11 game the night before with Marietta, many pitchers used, etc.  The same for the OWU win over Marietta last night.  Again, both teams have used many pitchers and are saving #1 and #2's for conference games this weekend.  Marietta has played 5 games this week.  Not sure how many Wooster has played.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2009, 11:19:28 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 03, 2009, 08:37:34 AMthis is just my guess, but I've been around long enough to have some sort of knowledge on the subject...they started off looking strong with a good spring trip, although they dind't play any good competition.  At that pint they started receiving votes in the poll b/c of their record.  Once a team receives some votes they usually just stay the course and keep receiving a few votes here and there (if they are near the bottom of the top 25) b/c it's too much work for every pollster to research every team.

I have nothing to add other than to say that this is very well said.  The point about teams at the bottom flying under the radar because there is not enough time to research all those teams is very true.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on April 03, 2009, 09:17:25 PM
Quote from: a spectator on April 03, 2009, 09:35:28 AM
I wouldn't put too much credence in the BW win over Wooster after the 11 game the night before with Marietta, many pitchers used, etc.  The same for the OWU win over Marietta last night.  Again, both teams have used many pitchers and are saving #1 and #2's for conference games this weekend.  Marietta has played 5 games this week.  Not sure how many Wooster has played.
Wooster used 5 different pitchers in yesterday's loss at B-W.  Four of them were freshmen.  All of whom have only appeared in 5 or fewer games and the Scots' final pitcher of the night, who the Jackets touched up for 5 runs was only making his 2nd appearance of the season.  And the lone non-freshman pitcher was a jr. who also leads the Scots for having the highest ERA on the team...  And it was still anybody's game through the 6th, until B-W finally found separation in the last 3 innings.

I still say that was disappointing to see Wooster's young pitchers not step up when finally given the opportunity to prove themselves...

Nice win for B-W, but Wooster put all their big guns out the night before in that 11 inning slugfest with regional rival and nationally ranked Marietta.  And they threw out their sacrificial freshmen to take one for the team last night as they were saving their experienced arms for their 4 conference games this weekend.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on April 03, 2009, 09:54:59 PM
Thanks for the "nice win" comment ScotsFan....2 years in a row feels pretty good.  Good luck using those big guns this weekend against NCAC Hiram, followed by NCAC Kenyon.  Maybe those sacrificial freshman can bounce back against Case at Progressive.

GO OAC!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 04, 2009, 01:07:26 AM
Otterbein Visits Peaceful Valley Saturday
Fans can follow the action online with live statistics, including play-by-play, or listen live with Heidelberg's WHEI 88.9
Weather forecast: Sunny - 50 degrees - Looks like good baseball weather.  Come out and enjoy the game, and if you can't, either follow on live stats or on radio.  First game starts at 1:00PM
and the second game will began at approximately 4:00PM.

GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 02:11:30 PM
Scores so far...

Berg 3, Ott 2 (top 6th)

JCU 5, Etta 2 (bottom 4th)

MUC 4, Cap 0 (bottom 4th)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 03:11:16 PM
Game 1 finals...

Berg 3, Ott 2.  Paddock goes to 5-1 on a solid effort today.

JCU 5, Etta 3.  Pios made it interesting loading the bases in the 7th, but couldn't score.  According to the JCU stat tracker Marietta made 6 errors.

MUC 9, Cap 0.  Mariotti followed up his Pitcher of the Week line (CG shutout, 2 H, 10 K) with another strong one today: 6 shutout innings, 1 H, 8 K.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on April 04, 2009, 04:15:09 PM
BW beat ONU first game 8-4
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 04:27:38 PM
Lots of offense so far in the 2nd games...

Berg 12, Ott 7 (bottom 3).  Starters retired 3 batters combined in this one.

MUC 8, Cap 0 (bottom 2)

JCU 4, Etta 2 (bottom 3)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 05:50:55 PM
Updates...

Marietta 9, JCU 7 (top 8)

MUC 17, Cap 7 (top 7)

FINAL--Berg 15, Ott 8.  Great job by the Berg bullpen.  9 IP, 2 R.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 04, 2009, 08:58:25 PM
ONU has TERRIBLE coaching.  I went to the game and watched as Brian Hill was pulled with 2 outs, bases loaded in the 6th with a tie game, pitching to a person who was 1-3 vs him with a bloop single.   The next pitcher came in and gave up a triple, to make the game 7-4.  THIS IS LUDACRIS.  ONU NEEDS a pitching coach.  The fact that he was pulled right after he struck out a batter, regardless if he walked the next, is stupid.  It was HIS game to lose, no one elses.  All of the fans were in agreement and felt sorry for the kids as they watched this happen. 

In the second game, Justin Miller DOMINATED.  He pitched all 9, but threw almost 150 pitches.  Once again... NEED a pitching coach for these kids.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 09:13:27 PM
I'm glad that I was smart enough to know that putting the ) after top 8 in that score update would make that face appear.  Shows how much I know.

Summary of today:

Marietta and JCU split.  JCU takes game 1 (5-3) and Etta takes game 2 (15-13)  Looked like there were a lot of errors too, but that's based on stat tracker only.  A little surprised the Streaks scored that many runs today, but I'm also the moron that said I didn't even consider the possibility of a split. 

Berg swept Otterbein 3-2 and 15-8.  I'm waiting on Gramps for the details as I'm assuming he was in attendance.

MUC swept Cap 9-0 and 21-7.  Cap's pitching struggles after they looked decent against Marietta last week.  I would say Mariotti is the front runner for Pitcher of the Week except...

ONU and BW split.  BW wins the 1st 8-4 and ONU takes the 2nd 2-0.  Miller's effort for BW in the 2nd game is going to have to get him Pitcher of the Week, IMHO.  BW's bats had been hot and he absolutely shut them down.  9 inning complete game 3 hit shutout w/ 11 K.  Wow.  Great performance.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 09:21:58 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 04, 2009, 08:58:25 PMIn the second game, Justin Miller DOMINATED.  He pitched all 9, but threw almost 150 pitches.  Once again... NEED a pitching coach for these kids.   

I'm a proponent of pitch counts.  I think they should be used as a guide, but I also think you have to take into account the kid, how he feels, the situation, etc.  That being said, I think approaching 150 is a little much regardless of any other factors. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 09:36:12 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 04, 2009, 08:58:25 PM
ONU has TERRIBLE coaching.  I went to the game and watched as Brian Hill was pulled with 2 outs, bases loaded in the 6th with a tie game, pitching to a person who was 1-3 vs him with a bloop single.   The next pitcher came in and gave up a triple, to make the game 7-4.  THIS IS LUDACRIS.  ONU NEEDS a pitching coach.  The fact that he was pulled right after he struck out a batter, regardless if he walked the next, is stupid.  It was HIS game to lose, no one elses.  All of the fans were in agreement and felt sorry for the kids as they watched this happen.

I see your point about giving Hill the benefit of the doubt considering he's a senior and your ace, but allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment.  My guess is the coach had the following thought process:

"It's the 6th inning and we're tied.  Hill sandwiched a couple K's around a walk, but then he threw a wild pitch, walked the pinch hitter and gave up a single to the 9 hitter to turn the lineup over.  Kidd hasn't hit him well, but he's also a .436 hitter.  Do I want to risk it if Brian is getting tired or do I think my pen can get me 1 out?" 

Obviously I wasn't there so I have no clue what I would have done in his shoes, but I wanted to take a stab at his logic.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 04, 2009, 10:22:20 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 09:21:58 PM
That being said, I think approaching 150 is a little much regardless of any other factors. 

150 is crazy. i threw 165 in hs and my 72 mph fastball put 0 strain on my arm. i slept with my arm over my head and woke up the next morning with my arm stuck over my head. so stiff i couldnt move it down. i can only imagine how he is going to feel the next couple of days.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 05, 2009, 01:26:33 AM
Dr. Acula,
I see your point and agree with it.  If the pitcher had been warmed up, i would completely agree.  The pitcher was the Right Fielder, who had warmed up only a handful of pitches in the bullpen.  That was my biggest concern with everything.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 05, 2009, 11:21:18 AM


Berg swept Otterbein 3-2 and 15-8.  I'm waiting on Gramps for the details as I'm assuming he was in attendance. Quote from Dr. Acula

I can't disappoint Dr. Acula.

Game 1 was a pitchers duel with D. Paddock coming away with his 5th W of the season and gaining 9 Ks along the way. A Lowe came in the last inning for his 4th Save .

G. Keene started the scoring by driving in J. Wentworth who had walked than R. Lizcano, DH, drove in Keene and B. Boytim, on base with a walk, with a 2 RBI double.


Now game 2 was a different story as Otterbein started off the 1 st inning with a 6 run opening before E Williams was called upon to quench the flames. Releiving for the 5th & 6th innings was S. Nino, 1 Run, 3 Ks.  Closing was B. Koehl with 2 Ks. E. Williams got the W for his 3rd of the season.

The Berg came back with 3 runs in the 1st, 9 runs in the 2nd and 3 more runs along the way.
J. Wentworth, 3-5, 2 Runs and B. Boytim, 3-5, 4 RBIs, 3 runs, with one of his hits being a HR, led the comeback.  G. Keene, 2 Hits, L. B. Emrhein, 2 Hits, with one of them being a 3 Run HR in the 2nd inning. J. Lash scored 4 Runs. R. Lizczno added 2 RBIs.

Next for The Berg: Capital for a Conference Doubleheader on Weds. 4-8-09 

GO BERG!!!



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on April 05, 2009, 11:39:36 AM
I was in Columbus, so I caught the last few innnings of the second game of Cap-MUC.  It was 10-6 in the top of the 5th when I got there.  MUC got their leadoff guy on but cap got two outs before giving up three more runs.  Then MUC started plating runs in bunches as Cap's pitching and defense went to hell.  The final ended up 21-7 in 9.

It was 21-7 going into the bottom of the 9th.  I made the joke that I didn't think we could score two touchdowns that late, since we were playing Mount.  Everyone laughed.  (I only WISH the score of the football game was that close, actually).

Disappointed I didn't get to see Mariotti pitch in the first game...

Cap has some issues.  They have some experience in the field, but their staff, especially their relief corps, is young and it really showed yesterday.  Once they got close, Cap's pitchers couldn't keep them close.

MUC, especially their position players, look like MEN.  They have some big guys.  And they can swing the stick.  A pretty significant wind was blowing in yesterday, but there were a couple of guys that hit some balls that might have been real deep on a calm day that only went to the warning track or off the fence.  In fact, when I made my joke with the reference to MUC football, one of the Cap parents said "I think some of these guys play football too, at least they look like it."

Cap doesn't have anyone big.  They're all kind of skinny, lanky kids or short stocky kids.  Tommy Stevison was really the only Cap player who looked like he could have been sitting in the MUC dugout.  Some weightroom time might not hurt.

I should qualify this by saying I haven't seen any other OAC baseball teams, but, much like their football team, when MUC gets off the bus, I bet more than a few folks say "Wow."
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2009, 12:06:41 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 05, 2009, 01:26:33 AM
Dr. Acula,
I see your point and agree with it.  If the pitcher had been warmed up, i would completely agree.  The pitcher was the Right Fielder, who had warmed up only a handful of pitches in the bullpen.  That was my biggest concern with everything.   

I noticed it was Katana that came in.  Tough to bring a guy into a situation where he HAS to throw strikes if he's not loose.  I'm sure all Katana was doing was making sure he got it over the plate...don't walk in the run, at least make Kidd beat you with a 2 out base hit.       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2009, 05:23:12 PM
MUC dropped a 9 inning non-conference affair to Walsh U. today 9-6.  Walsh is now 2-0 against MUC and 9-19 against everyone else.  I always hated losing to Walsh because I felt like they always nickel and dimed us to death.  You'd leave thinking "How'd they score X runs?  Their lineup stinks.  They have 6 kids hitting below .300"   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2009, 06:11:57 PM
Musky swept Wilmington today 8-4 and 12-10.  Fish are 4-2 in conference, Quakers are 0-6.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 07, 2009, 07:25:27 AM
Congrats to Andy Lowe on being named the OAC "Pitcher of the Week"

The Berg Plays Capital Weds. 4-8-09.  Games are at 1:00PM and 4:00PM

GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on April 07, 2009, 09:57:56 AM
Congrats to Cam Cimino of Marietta on OAC Hitter of the Week also. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2009, 11:44:10 PM
Predictions for Wednesday:

ONU @ Wilm:  ONU sweeps
Etta @ MUC:  Etta sweeps
BW @ Ott:  Ott sweeps
Cap @ Berg:  Berg sweeps
JCU @ Musky:  Split

Considering this is the OAC we're talking about, the fact that I have only 1 split is absurd.  I wanted to pick MUC to split, but my reverse jinx worked last time at Cap so I have to ride it out.  Next closest in my mind was BW.  If they were playing in Berea I take a split. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 08, 2009, 09:47:00 AM
Marietta @ MUC has been postponed to tomorrow at 1pm
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2009, 02:51:46 PM
Berg is up 12-0 on Cap in the 7th.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2009, 02:52:52 PM
Of course as soon as I post they give the score of this game...

Ott 7, BW 5 after 5.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2009, 03:53:08 PM
FINAL--Ott 8, BW 7.

Kreisher hits a 2 run HR in the 7th w/ 1 out, but Ott holds on.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2009, 06:16:07 PM
Wilmington sweeps ONU 12-3 and 14-13.  Scored 3 in the bottom of the 9th to win the 2nd game. 

Berg sweeps Cap, winning the 2nd game 8-3.

BW gets a big road split at Otterbein. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2009, 07:50:19 PM
JCU got a key sweep at Musky today.  They held the normally potent Musky lineup to a grand total of 1 run on the day.  1-0 (10) and 5-1 were the finals.

Thankfully I wasn't betting the mortgage on the games because I went a very solid 1 for 4 on my predictions (with the '1' being Berg sweeping last place Cap...aka the lay up).  Don't worry, I didn't throw my shoulder out patting myself on the back for that one!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on April 08, 2009, 10:53:22 PM
Dr. Acula this question is for you, and anyone else who wants to answer.

We are now wrapping up the 4 round of games and heading into the weekend for the fifth round. Out of all the teams in the OAC who do you think will be the four teams in the OAC playoffs? And who are the teams that are on the bubble right now?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2009, 10:57:00 PM
Does anyone know why the Etta/MUC DH was postponed?  Was the field in bad shape?  I saw on the MUC website that the softball team played Cap at home.  In the pic the girl is wearing sunglasses!  Just curious.  I'm guessing this means we'll likely see a Knowlton/Mariotti match up thanks to the extra day off.  Let's hope so because that should be a good one.

Changing topics...has anyone seen Otterbein in person this season?  I can't figure them out so far.  BW gave them all they wanted today.  I will definitely make the short jaunt to Westerville soon.  Much safer than going to a Cap game!    
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2009, 11:17:09 PM
Quote from: bballfanatic1984 on April 08, 2009, 10:53:22 PM
Dr. Acula this question is for you, and anyone else who wants to answer.

We are now wrapping up the 4 round of games and heading into the weekend for the fifth round. Out of all the teams in the OAC who do you think will be the four teams in the OAC playoffs? And who are the teams that are on the bubble right now?

I think I should wait until after that ppd DH tomorrow, but as of this second...

Locks:  Etta, Berg

Probable:
JCU:  I put them next because they have a win against Etta in their pocket.  They blew a crucial sweep by splitting w/ Cap, but they got back to even by sweeping Musky today (hence why I said I thought it was a big sweep). 

Contenders:
MUC:  They've swept the 2 worst teams and split w/ ONU.  I was down on their split w/ ONU after the Bears' performance today, but you have to remember MUC faced Hill and Miller I believe.  Wilm faced their 3 & 4 today.  Bottom line, they're where they need to be, but a win tomorrow helps them immensely. 

Ott:  They're in a position they're not used to recently...playing the old sweep the bottom, steal a game from the top and split w/ everyone else game.  They're used to being one of "the top".  That being said they haven't lost any backbreaking conference games yet.  And they still have Etta on 4/18 at home.

Musky:  Same as above.  The only reason I have them below Ott and MUC is because I'm a little concerned after today.  1 run in 17 innings?  Not confidence inspiring.

BW:  I won't count them out yet.  Good split today.  That Musky sweep still hurts.  They need to sweep MUC to get back in this thing. 

Out:
ONU:  Today killed them.  But they're going to be a thorn in some sides the rest of the year.  With their 1-2 they have the potential to ruin some seasons.

Cap/Wilm:  Just not their year.   

 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lhpdiggy on April 08, 2009, 11:46:57 PM
I was at the first BW/OTT game today and it could have gone either way.  Hayes pitched for OTT and he has a great bender but I don't think he was landing it today.  The top of the line up for BW seem to sit on the FB and hit it hard w/ Kriesher getting 2 HR's w/ the help of the wind(at least on the 2nd one).  They are very athletic up the middle, and in LF and RF.  Kidd got another SB, so if you are fast and smart.....?????

Good luck this weekend and tell Knott he is much better that what he thinks he is.....he is a stud in my book

Thanks

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 09, 2009, 12:25:52 AM
Dr. Acula,

Granted we will get to see knowlton/mariotti tomorrow, but what do you think that will do to the game against the berg this weekend seeing how the princes had a throw away game today and an extra day rest then the raiders. I remember last year where the raiders were 6-0 in oac play entering this week and were 7-3 by the end of the week and their dynamic of the season changed from a regular season championship to fighting for 4th. This just seems like deja vu all over again.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 09, 2009, 12:52:28 AM
Jason Lash hit for the CYCLE in Game 2 with a double in the 1st, an RBI single in the 2nd, followed by a 2 Run HR in the 4th and a triple in the 6th. "It took 19 years to get this (THE CYCLE)" said Jason as he presented the game ball to his grandfather.  What a thrill.
Jason was 4-5, 3 RBIs, 1 Run, while G. Keene and S. Decker had 2 Hits each.
Reliever Brandon Stucky, 1 Hit and 3 Ks, got his 1st W of the season  by an 8-3 score over Capital.

In game 1, DHer R. Lizcano, 4-4, 2 RBIs, 3 Runs; B. Boytim, 3-4, 1 RBI, 3 Runs; L. B. Emrhein, 2-2, 1 Run; and G. Keene, 2-3, 2 Runs led the way to a 12-2 Win  over Capital.
Brian Koehl pitched a good outing with 4 Hits and 6 Ks.

Sat. 4-11-09:  The Berg vs Mount Union 1:00PM and 4:00PM

GO BERG!!!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 09, 2009, 08:41:36 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on April 09, 2009, 12:25:52 AM
Dr. Acula,

Granted we will get to see knowlton/mariotti tomorrow, but what do you think that will do to the game against the berg this weekend seeing how the princes had a throw away game today and an extra day rest then the raiders. I remember last year where the raiders were 6-0 in oac play entering this week and were 7-3 by the end of the week and their dynamic of the season changed from a regular season championship to fighting for 4th. This just seems like deja vu all over again.

I understand the frustration, but that's what you get with weather up north.  PLUS, the main thing is that regardless of how the season goes, if you want to do well in the post-season, you need THREE or more quality pitchers.  And an opportunity like this (playing DH's so close to each other), shows a team's true pitching depth.

If a team is good enough to make the post-season and play deep into it, then they should have no problem playing 4 games in three days.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2009, 11:34:20 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on April 09, 2009, 12:25:52 AM
Dr. Acula,

Granted we will get to see knowlton/mariotti tomorrow, but what do you think that will do to the game against the berg this weekend seeing how the princes had a throw away game today and an extra day rest then the raiders. I remember last year where the raiders were 6-0 in oac play entering this week and were 7-3 by the end of the week and their dynamic of the season changed from a regular season championship to fighting for 4th. This just seems like deja vu all over again.

First off, as usual mideast and I are in agreement.  The thing that separates the top teams from the rest of the conference is depth of pitching.  Is there that much  difference between Marietta's 1-9 and say MUC, Musky or BW's?  Probably not a ton.  Where Etta, Berg and up until this year Ott have pulled away is pitching depth.  It's not a coincidence that that's Marietta's calling card and they've been consistently a top program. 

As for your specific question, I honestly think that if MUC wakes up Sunday morning sitting at 7-3 that's a HUGE victory for them.  If they go 2-2 against Etta and Berg they're in great shape to make the OAC tourney.  But I think there is tremendous pressure on them today to at least split.  In particular, I think this could be the biggest start of Mariotti's career.  If he pitches well and they win the opener that relieves tons of pressure.  If he pitches poorly and they lose, then the pressure mounts on Irwin because he knows they have Berg Saturday with their 3-4 (not exactly a recipe for success considering you're going to see Paddock). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on April 09, 2009, 03:23:25 PM
Marietta wins first game 6-4.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 09, 2009, 04:05:19 PM
Mark Sabatino is starting for mount. saving irwin for a showdown against paddock on saturday. 1-0 etta, top 2
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 09, 2009, 05:22:52 PM
this one is going to be HIGH scoring....Mount has come back to score 10 runs in the last 2 innings.

End of the 5th

MC - 7
Mount - 10
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 09, 2009, 06:45:19 PM
ONU vs JCU

Positives for ONU- Miller/Hill get start, younger guys stepping up

Negatives for ONU- Wilmington..., starting 1b Robinson suspended for a week, defense


who wins and why
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2009, 07:07:30 PM
MUC gets the split winning the 2nd game 19-11.  Berg, Etta and MUC all 6-2 now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 09, 2009, 08:31:03 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2009, 07:07:30 PM
MUC gets the split winning the 2nd game 19-11.  Berg, Etta and MUC all 6-2 now.

You're right Dr. Acula, big showdown at MUC  this Sat. as they go head-to-head with the Berg.
I'm anticipating a couple of very exciting and hard played games.  Good Luck to both teams.
Normaly I'd be there, but we celebrate Easter on Sat. with our families.  We will be following the
action on the computer in between festivities.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2009, 08:54:10 PM
Bummer about the timing Gramps.  That would be a good one to see.  I'm interested to see how MUC approaches the pitching match ups.  They saved their #2, Joe Irwin, for Saturday.  Will they start him game 1 to use their best guy in the 7 inning game?  Or will they avoid Paddock and let Irwin start the 2nd game as he's accustomed to?  I don't know who's getting the ball in the other game.  Brett Thomas?  Maybe Erik Miller since he only threw 2 innings today?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 09, 2009, 08:57:44 PM
i would expect to see irwin pitch the first game against paddock since last year the raiders handled paddock pretty well. they really had problems against andy lowe. game 2 will probably be pieced together. see miller for a few, thomas, colly, and wise. atleast thats how i would approach it if i were at the helm
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on April 10, 2009, 11:36:53 AM
inthecrease,

Clearly you have never benn around the MUC program...

The logical thing to do is always the last possible option and that is if logic was ever an option to begin with
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 10, 2009, 11:59:25 AM
Curious, does anyone remember when the last time someone "Hit for the Cycle" in the OAC.  Let me hear from some of the Baseball Gurus.  Thanks in advance for your input.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2009, 06:22:48 PM
I've only been following OAC baseball for around 10 years, but I don't remember any off the top of my head.  The Cycle is rare in general so when you factor in 7 inning games the majority of the time the odds are even less.  It's hard to get 4 hits in a 7 inning game, let alone the Cycle! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 10, 2009, 06:49:38 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2009, 06:22:48 PM
I've only been following OAC baseball for around 10 years, but I don't remember any off the top of my head.  The Cycle is rare in general so when you factor in 7 inning games the majority of the time the odds are even less.  It's hard to get 4 hits in a 7 inning game, let alone the Cycle! 

Dr. Acula: Jason Lash's Cycle was in game 2, and usually game two is a 9 inning game. He was actually up one more time after he got the Cycle and he drove the ball to fence where the left fielder caught up to it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: DenisonFan on April 10, 2009, 06:52:39 PM
In 2006, in the NCAC, Denison player Todd Pitt hit for the cycle in a game in Florida -- and hit Johnny Pesky, too.

http://tinyurl.com/d935rw
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 10, 2009, 07:05:33 PM
here is what i have found from researching every schools media guide i could find online (i have that kind of free time)

OAC Cycle:
April 12, 2001 - Mike Van Schepen for Muskingum vs. Wilmington
May 12, 1994 - Chris Matejcik for B-W vs. Mount Union

Non-OAC Cycle:
April 14, 2005 - Mike Farrell for B-W vs. Hiram
March 12, 2001 - Steve Conter for B-Wvs. Thomas More (Ky.)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2009, 08:24:46 PM
Quote from: Gramps on April 10, 2009, 06:49:38 PMDr. Acula: Jason Lash's Cycle was in game 2, and usually game two is a 9 inning game. He was actually up one more time after he got the Cycle and he drove the ball to fence where the left fielder caught up to it.

I guess I was saying that it's obviously harder to do it in 7 and between FL, non-conf DH and the first half of OAC DH there are a lot of 7 inning games.  So it just cuts down the chances even more thus making it more impressive to me.  I couldn't have hit for the cycle in a season so I'm jealous.

p.s. Thanks inthecrease for the research. 

Title: OAC action - 4/11/09
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 11, 2009, 09:40:22 AM
we are almost halfway through the OAC season, here are today's matchups....

Heidelberg at Mount Union
ONU at John Carroll
Wilmington at Marietta
Musky at Otterbein
Capital at B-W


current standings:

Marietta                (6-2)
Heidelberg            (6-2)
Mount Union         (6-2)
John Carroll          (5-3)
Muskingum           (4-4)
Otterbein              (3-3)
Baldwin-Wallace   (3-5)
Ohio Northern       (2-4)
Wilmington            (2-7)
Capital                  (1-6)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2009, 02:11:59 PM
Game 1 in Alliance is flying by...

Berg leads 2-0 middle of 5. 

Paddock has OWNED Mount thus far.  4 innings, 1 hit and three 1-2-3 innings.  Irwin gave up 2 in the first and has settled in now tossing 4 straight scoreless frames himself.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 11, 2009, 02:39:25 PM
Game 1 in Marietta....

The Pioneers scored 4 in the bottom of the 6th, capped off by a big 2-run HR by Cimino, to take a 8-6 lead.  Wilmington got a lead-off HR in the 7th to narrow the score at 8-7, but left the tying run on third as the last two batters struckout.

FINAL
Wilmington - 7
Marietta - 8
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2009, 05:16:01 PM
Other game 1 finals:

Berg 3, MUC 0

Ott 12, Musky 8

BW 1, Cap 0

ONU 5, JCU 4
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 11, 2009, 05:28:50 PM
Marietta caps off sweep of Wilmington.

Heidelberg caps off sweep at Mount Union.

Marietta (8-2)
Heidelberg (8-2)
Mount Union (6-4)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2009, 05:33:58 PM
Great pitching from Berg today...2 runs in 16 innings to an offense like MUC's is outstanding.  Mount got pretty good pitching as well.  Irwin settled down and gave up only 1 run the final 6 innings of game 1 and the bullpen work of Wise and Griffith in game 2 was fantastic (8 IP, 1 R).  Rocky starts in both games combined with good Berg pitching did the Raiders in today. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2009, 05:45:09 PM
I'm not gonna lie...yesterday if someone had offered me Marietta -3.5 runs for the DH against Wilm I would currently be homeless. 

Along the same lines...if someone had offered me over under on runs scored by BW in game 1 against Cap at 1.5 I would likewise be homeless.  I think I would have taken the over without thinking up to probably 7.5 

That's why baseball is great.  Also why I don't gamble (for further evidence, see my predictions every week on this board).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 11, 2009, 07:04:29 PM
results & new standings:

Marietta sweeps Wilmington
Heidelberg sweeps Mount Union
Otterbein sweeps Muskingum
ONU and John Carroll split
B-W sweeps Capital


Marietta (8-2)
Heidelberg (8-2)
Otterbein (5-3)
Mount Union (6-4)
John Carroll (6-4)
Baldwin-Wallace (5-5)
Muskingum (4-6)
Ohio Northern (3-5)
Wilmington (2-8)
Capital (1-9)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bears54 on April 13, 2009, 09:15:18 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2009, 09:36:12 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 04, 2009, 08:58:25 PM
ONU has TERRIBLE coaching.  I went to the game and watched as Brian Hill was pulled with 2 outs, bases loaded in the 6th with a tie game, pitching to a person who was 1-3 vs him with a bloop single.   The next pitcher came in and gave up a triple, to make the game 7-4.  THIS IS LUDACRIS.  ONU NEEDS a pitching coach.  The fact that he was pulled right after he struck out a batter, regardless if he walked the next, is stupid.  It was HIS game to lose, no one elses.  All of the fans were in agreement and felt sorry for the kids as they watched this happen.

I see your point about giving Hill the benefit of the doubt considering he's a senior and your ace, but allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment.  My guess is the coach had the following thought process:

"It's the 6th inning and we're tied.  Hill sandwiched a couple K's around a walk, but then he threw a wild pitch, walked the pinch hitter and gave up a single to the 9 hitter to turn the lineup over.  Kidd hasn't hit him well, but he's also a .436 hitter.  Do I want to risk it if Brian is getting tired or do I think my pen can get me 1 out?" 

Obviously I wasn't there so I have no clue what I would have done in his shoes, but I wanted to take a stab at his logic.   

That's just it......there IS no logic. When it is obvious that a kid is getting tired and should be replaced Bergman has no one in the pen ready to go, or he gets his relief staff up and throwing for 4 innings before he finally pulls the starter.
Case in point is this weekend's first game at JC.
Miller was dominating through 6, had to sit through a LONG top of the 7th, and walked the first guy he faced (#6 hitter). Obviously he was tired, arm was dropping and he had no leg drive. Berg went to the mound and instead of pulling him, left him in for 5 more batters, before FINALLY going to the pen and bringing in a freshman with bases loaded and one out to face the meat of the order. ONU NEEDS A PITCHING COACH!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 13, 2009, 10:49:16 AM
i would like to say though that the bears defense and offense this year are atrocious.  The second game agains JC, there were NO earned runs and 5 errors... hill struck out 13 and gave up 4 hits (they considered a popup dropped a hit  to make it 5) but what else can you ask for?  who deserves to lose like that?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 13, 2009, 05:54:39 PM
Dr. A.
       I'm responding to you post on the NCAC board regarding J. Quimby of Otterbien.
John was a very productive player at Wooster during his fresh and soph year at Wooster. Very good offensive player but, couldn't catch a cold on defense. Still, he could play on my team.
This is only my assumption on why he left. It's called academics. Junior and Senior Independent Studies can be pretty intimidating. It is hard to recruit good athletes and good students.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 13, 2009, 09:08:20 PM
I think this would be cool to see where people stand....

If you could make an OAC all star team... WHO would it consist of?  (NO BIAS OPINIONS)

2 Catchers
2 - 1b
2- 2b
2- ss
2- 3b
2- Lf
2- Cf
2- Rf

8- Pitchers

BE HONEST!!!  EVERYONE PLEASE TRY TO DO THIS!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bballfanatic1984 on April 13, 2009, 10:11:03 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 13, 2009, 09:08:20 PM
I think this would be cool to see where people stand....

If you could make an OAC all star team... WHO would it consist of?  (NO BIAS OPINIONS)

2 Catchers Ryan Nordquist (Leads the OAC in runners caught stealing)
2 - 1b Reily Kreisher (Has 40+ RBI's)
2- 2b
2- ss Craig Knott (Power hitting SS)
2- 3b Nate McFarland
2- Lf Jason Isles
2- Cf Cody Kidd
2- Rf

8- Pitchers Paul O'Donnel, Brandon Fredericks, David Paddock, Paul Mariotti,

BE HONEST!!!  EVERYONE PLEASE TRY TO DO THIS!

I only have some of the positions down. I dont know the OAC well enough to give all the positions, anyone want to help?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 13, 2009, 10:11:43 PM
i love the idea. just thought id tweak it a bit.

East - BW, JCU, MUC, Etta, Musky
West - Cap, Berg, ONU, Ott, Wil

1 deep at each position and 3 pitchers.
It would be a fun concept to find a time to work an all-star game into the season
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 13, 2009, 11:01:24 PM
Quote from: bballfanatic1984 on April 13, 2009, 10:11:03 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 13, 2009, 09:08:20 PM
I think this would be cool to see where people stand....

If you could make an OAC all star team... WHO would it consist of?  (NO BIAS OPINIONS)

2 Catchers Ryan Nordquist (Leads the OAC in runners caught stealing)
2 - 1b Reily Kreisher (Has 40+ RBI's)
2- 2b
2- ss Craig Knott (Power hitting SS)
2- 3b Nate McFarland
2- Lf Jason Isles
2- Cf Cody Kidd
2- Rf

8- Pitchers Paul O'Donnel, Brandon Fredericks, David Paddock, Paul Mariotti,

BE HONEST!!!  EVERYONE PLEASE TRY TO DO THIS!

I only have some of the positions down. I dont know the OAC well enough to give all the positions, anyone want to help?

I hate doing this because I'm a Mount guy, but if you're only choosing one take a look at Quimby from Ott at SS and Cimino from Etta at 3B.  But I'll get right back on the bandwagon and suggest Matt Tracy from MUC at 2B.  He's quietly having a great year for a soph hitting .380.

I'll try to come up with my team in the next couple days.  Unfortunately I'm a little slammed at work right now so I don't have the time to do a full squad tonight.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 14, 2009, 12:55:40 PM
I think this would be cool to see where people stand....

If you could make an OAC all star team... WHO would it consist of?  (NO BIAS OPINIONS)   

EAST VS WEST

East - BW, JCU, MUC, Etta, Musky
West - Cap, Berg, ONU, Ott, Wil

1 deep at each position and 3 pitchers... USE EVERY TEAM... cant just leave a team out

EAST TEAM
1 Catchers
1 - 1b
1- 2b
1- ss
1- 3b
1- Lf
1- Cf
1- Rf

3- Pitchers


WEST TEAM
1 Catchers
1 - 1b
1- 2b
1- ss
1- 3b
1- Lf
1- Cf
1- Rf

3- Pitchers

BE HONEST!!!  EVERYONE PLEASE TRY TO DO THIS!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 16, 2009, 05:23:30 PM
BW took game 1 from Mount 3-2 in 8.  MUC gets a strong performance from Mariotti (7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 10 K), but can't piece together enough offense against Jaskowak who went all 8 for BW.

MUC leads game 2 in the 7th 9-1.  Sabatino is giving the Raiders a strong pitching performance in this one. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 16, 2009, 05:27:24 PM
FINAL--Berg 3, ONU 1

Lash goes 2-3 and drives in 2.  Nice efforts from all the pitchers in this one.  Koehl and Lowe from Berg and Miller from ONU.

Berg leads game 2 in the 7th 8-1.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 16, 2009, 05:31:42 PM
FINAL--JCU 7, Ott 4

Game 2...JCU 3, Ott 1 top 5th.


Game 1...Musky 4, Marietta 2 in the 6th.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 16, 2009, 05:55:21 PM
Marietta scores 4 in the 6th and one in the 7th to come from behind and defeat Muskingum 5-4 in game one.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 16, 2009, 08:41:33 PM
Heidelberg finishes off SWEEP of ONU
JCU finishes off SWEEP of Otterbein
B-W and Mount Union SPLIT
Marietta and Muskingum SPLIT


updated standings:

Heidelberg (10-2)
Marietta (9-3)
John Carroll (8-4)
Mount Union (7-5)
Baldwin-Wallace (6-6)
Otterbein (5-5)
Muskingum (5-7)
Ohio Northern (3-7)
Wilmington (2-8)
Capital (1-9)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 16, 2009, 10:54:29 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 16, 2009, 05:27:24 PM
FINAL--Berg 3, ONU 1

Lash goes 2-3 and drives in 2.  Nice efforts from all the pitchers in this one.  Koehl and Lowe from Berg and Miller from ONU.

Berg leads game 2 in the 7th 8-1.



To add  to Dr. A's summary, Gar Keene added 4 more runs to the 7th inning with a Grand Slam to make the score 12-1 after 7.  They than added 2 more runs in the 8th on 2 walks and 2 singles.  Gar Keene led off the 9th with his 2nd HR  of the game to finish off the scoring for the night.
Nate James pitched 7 strong innings before being relieved by Elvin Williams for the final 2 innings.

The Berg's record is now 25-5 with a win streak of 14 in a row.

B. W. comes to the Berg on Sat. for a DH.


GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2009, 10:16:58 AM
I'm literally the only person in my department here today, so needless to say I'm a little bored.  Bad news for you guys is that means I'm going to throw out some random observations about our beloved OAC. 

--There are a few ONU supporters on this board so I wanted to take a second to applaud one of their guys.  Justin Miller.  I looked it up and he's made 4 starts in OAC games and has gone at least 6 2/3 in every one.  Even better, he's posted a 2.32 ERA in those games.  Just from looking at stats it looks like their lineup is struggling, but with Miller and Hill I wouldn't want to see them if I needed a sweep to make the tourney.

--Why is it that even when Marietta has a season like this where they split with JCU, MUC, Musky I think that it's all part of their plan?  In my mind Brewer is sitting there thinking "We'll sweep Berg to show everyone we can, then we'll split a DH here and there to make them think we're down.  Then we'll just take the bus up to Peaceful Valley and win the OAC tourney.  That will make my guys tougher for regionals if we have to win it in Tiffin."

--Has anyone looked at Andy Lowe's numbers?  They're nauseating.  His 0.96 ERA in OAC play is unreal.  He's made 8 appearances in conference play and has allowed a grand total of 0 ER in 7 of those.  His only 2 ER came in 5 innings of relief against the Pios.  Not a bad line score against the Express.  Nice luxury for Palm to have in the bullpen.

--JCU should be sitting pretty good on Sunday.  They're already 8-4 and sitting alone in 3rd and they're at Wilm tomorrow.  I would say this is a lock for a sweep, but JCU did split with Cap and the Quakers have been showing signs of life lately.

--I'll confess I've never heard of JCU's Tom Hickey until about 10 minutes ago, but does everyone realize this kid is a freshman?  In case you're ignorant like me...he's a 6'5" lefty 1B hitting .454 right now.  And he's from Chicago.  Why can't there be Methodist high schools that produce studs for my Raiders? 

--I'm the first to admit that I was a little concerned about MUC ace Paul Mariotti earlier this year.  Well, as usual I'm an idiot.  Mariotti has allowed 3 or fewer hits in 3 of his 4 OAC starts.  His 1.80 ERA and 11.2 K/9 are stats put up by dominant pitchers, not guys that office jockeys like myself should be concerned about. 

--How long has it been since Ott has been in the position they're in going into this weekend?  A while.  Yesterday's sweep by JCU was a signal that JCU is no joke and Ott has some issues to solve.  The good news is that they're 5-5 and are a DH behind most of the OAC, so they have some time.  Also, they play the team currently in 4th (MUC) the last DH of the season.  The bad news is that the starting pitching that has carried them for years hasn't come around like they hoped.  The 2 guys who looked poised to step into the 1-2 spots after Remenowsky and Stevens mercifully graduated haven't pitched at the same levels as in the past.  I think a split against Etta tomorrow would help immensely as it would give them a boost going into Cap & ONU, which they need to sweep.

--BW is also sitting at .500, but they're in a much different position.  With back to back road trips to Tiffin and Marietta it may be out of reach for the Jackets. 




       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 17, 2009, 11:03:25 AM
Dr Acula,

We few ONU supporters appreciate you recognizing Miller and Hill.  Their two tough pitchers who deserve better than they have!  I just wish the hitting would show signs of life to support these two pitchers.  Miller has 2 years of eligibility left after coming off of Tommy John surgery.  Hill is done after this year, so i pray that a freshman sophomore or junior steps up and helps out a bit. 

Keep up the good work on this board!  You guys do an excellent job recognizing teams of the OAC.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 18, 2009, 09:06:44 AM
the playoff race is heating up, and with only three weekends left the fight for the FOUR spots will be quite interesting.  Here's today's schedule.....

Marietta at Otterbein
B-W at Heidelberg
Muskingum at Mount Union
John Carroll at Wilmington
Capital at Ohio Northern


current standings:

Heidelberg (10-2)
Marietta (9-3)
John Carroll (8-4)
Mount Union (7-5)
Baldwin-Wallace (6-6)
Otterbein (5-5)
Muskingum (5-7)
Ohio Northern (3-7)
Wilmington (3-9)
Capital (2-10)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 18, 2009, 11:51:56 PM
Peaceful valley was anything but Yesterday as The Student Princes split a double header with BW.  The visiting team  took the opener by a score of 6-5, while the Berg erupted for a 19-8 vict                                                                                                                               the nightcap.

In between  the games,  Biagio Boytim,  L. B. Emrheinem, Matt Grassley, Jack Bault, Jeremy Wentworth,  Dave Paddock, and Bryan Hartman,  The Berg's Senior Members who have contributed  to the success of the program.  We wish them luck in  their  chosen career paths.  A GREAT BIG  THANKS .

Andy Lowe set the new carrer "Save" record with 16 over coming  the 15 saves set by Ben Thorpe, from 2003-2005.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 19, 2009, 12:16:17 AM
today's recap:

Otterbein SWEEPS Marietta
Heidelberg SPLITS with B-W
John Carroll SPLITS with Wilmington
Mount Union SPLITS with Muskingum
Capital SWEEPS Ohio Northern


current standings:

current standings:

Heidelberg (11-3)
Marietta (9-5)
John Carroll (9-5)
Otterbein (7-5)
Mount Union (8-6)
Baldwin-Wallace (7-7)
Muskingum (6-8)
Ohio Northern (3-9)
Wilmington (4-10)
Capital (4-10)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 19, 2009, 12:58:00 PM
Big split by BW yesterday.  That keeps the Jackets alive for the OAC tourney another week.  If they can split at Marietta they finish with Wilm, so they at least have a potential sweep to end the season (although Wilm continued to play pretty well).   

And that was a HUGE sweep for Otterbein.  They're sitting very pretty now with Cap and ONU next.  They've got total control so if they go any worse than 4-2 from here on out it's on them.  The Pios are still in good shape in my mind.  9-5 with BW and ONU left.

JCU had a golden opportunity to really give themselves some breathing room yesterday, but they mustered only a split with Wilm.  It might not seem like a big deal looking at the standings as they're in 2nd, but they finish at MUC and home to Berg so there's a chance that split yesterday is the difference between 11-7 and 10-8.  And anyone that knows the OAC knows that's a huge difference.

MUC escaped New Concord with that split yesterday to keep their chances alive.  They won the first game 3-2 on a grand total of 3 hits off of Nathan VanMeter.  A 2 out single in the 6th was followed by an E4 and a clutch 3 run HR from Craig Knott.  The Raiders also control their destiny as they finish w/ JCU and Ott at home.  You can't ask for anymore than a chance to play the teams ahead of you.  If you deserve to be in, prove it and win the games. 

Congrats to Cap who notched a sweep yesterday too.  Cap, Wilm and ONU are the bottom 3 teams in the standings, but I think it's safe to say that none of them are pushovers this year.  All 3 have shown that they can play with the upper level teams on a given day and that's really all you can ask when teams are down.  You may have flaws, you may not win a lot of games, but you're competitive.   

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2009, 02:04:16 PM
We've got some quality NCAC/OAC action prior to this weekend's big DH's. 

As of now OWU is at JCU at 4pm today and Marietta is at Denison at 7pm tonight.

Tomorrow Berg hosts Wooster and Denison for single games and MUC hosts Allegheny.

Pitching could get interesting tomorrow as all teams have been pushed another day closer to their respective weekend conference games by weather. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 22, 2009, 08:28:09 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2009, 02:04:16 PM
We've got some quality NCAC/OAC action prior to this weekend's big DH's. 

As of now OWU is at JCU at 4pm today and Marietta is at Denison at 7pm tonight.

Tomorrow Berg hosts Wooster and Denison for single games and MUC hosts Allegheny.

Pitching could get interesting tomorrow as all teams have been pushed another day closer to their respective weekend conference games by weather. 

Marietta won a single game yesterday against Waynesburg.  Today's game at Denison was cancelled.  Tomorrow they play Shawnee State, and Friday they play a non-conference single game against Muskingum.  The pitching will be used sparingly leading up to the weekend, I'm sure.

Then comes OAC play on Saturday, as they host B-W in a big DH on Alumni Day.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 23, 2009, 03:42:29 PM
To say I'm a little concerned about MUC right now is an understatement.  Anytime your website has a headline that reads "Baseball Rallies for a Split with Case Western Reserve" you can't be breathing easy.  The offense has been falling off lately including again so far today.  They've scored 4 or less runs in 7 of their last 10 games.  Right now they're down 11-1 to Allegheny in the 5th and they've managed only a lead off single to start to game.  Needless to say I'm not confident going into Saturday knowing that JCU has excellent starting pitching.  Hopefully they start finding some green today and carry it into the weekend. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 24, 2009, 04:58:13 PM
this weekend should bring some great WEATHER and some great OAC baseball action. Heidelberg looks to have the top spot wrapped up, but the fight for the final three tournament spots will most likley come down to the final weekend.

Saturday's Schedule

B-W at Marietta
John Carroll at Mount Union
Ohio Northern at Muskingum
Capital at Otterbein
Heidelberg at Wilmington


Current Standings

Heidelberg (11-3)
John Carroll (9-5)
Marietta (9-5)
Otterbein (7-5)
Mount Union (8-6)
Baldwin-Wallace (7-7)
Muskingum (6-8)
Capital (4-10)
Wilmington (4-10)
Ohio Northern (3-9)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 24, 2009, 04:59:41 PM
The Berg split a DH at the Pleasant Valley BB Complex.  Wooster won Game #1 by a score of 5-4 and The Berg won Game #2 vs Denison 7-4.

Freshman Elvin Williams, in his debut as a starter, pitched a good game vs Wooster giving up just 3 hits, with 4 Ks and 2 BBs.  Good Work Elvin, better days are coming for this fine young pitcher.

G. Keene and M. Grassley had solo HRs and J. Lash with 2 hits, 1 RBI, 1 Run, led the Berg scoring.

In Game 2 vs Dennison, B. Koehl picked up his 5th win, ably aided by B. Stucky and A. Lowe, who recorded his 8th Save.

G. Keene and M. Grassley had their second HRs of the day.  R. Lizcano, 3-4, 1 RBI, 1 Run; B. Boytim, 2-3, 1 RBI, 2 Runs; and J. Lash, 2-4, 1 RBI,1 Run accounted for most of the damage.

The Berg meets Wilmington at Wilmington in DH Sat. 4-25-09


GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 26, 2009, 02:09:30 AM
Marietta SWEPT B-W
JCU SWEPT Mount Union
Heidelberg SWEPT Wilmington
Otterbein SWEPT Capital
Muskingum SWEPT Ohio Northern



current standings:

Heidelberg (13-3)
John Carroll (11-5)
Marietta (11-5)
Otterbein (9-5)
Mount Union (8-8)
Muskingum (8-8)
Baldwin-Wallace (7-9)
Capital (4-12)
Wilmington (4-12)
Ohio Northern (3-11)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 26, 2009, 10:35:59 AM
The Berg took a DH from Wilminton yesterday.  Game 1 - 11-2.  Game 2 - 11-3

In Game #1, D. Paddock went 5 innings, allowing 4 Hits, 1BB,  and 4 Ks. B. Stucky got in 1 inning of work, as did E. Biggs.

Matt Grassley led the offense with 3-4, 3 RBIs, and 1 Run; J. Wentworth added 3-4, 2 RBIs, 2 Run; W. Brechun 2-5, 1 Run; J. Lash 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 Run.  Lash also hit his 5th HR of the season to lead off the 6th inning.

"Sly" Nino was the starter in game #2.  He went 7 innings giving up 4 Hits with 2 BB and 4 Ks, and got the W. Everett Thomas relieved for the last 2 innings.

Leading the hitters  were J. Wentworth with 3-5, 1 Run;  M. Grassley 2-5, 2 RBIs, 2 Runs; G. Keene 3-5, 1 RBI, 2 Runs; W. Brechun  3-4, 3 RBIs; R. Lizcano  3 RBIs.  Grassley and Lizcano are also credited with shots over the fence.

Heidelberg will be in Springfield Tues. 4-29-09 for a rare game under the lights  against Wittenberg.
Game time 7:00PM.

go berg!!!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 27, 2009, 08:37:23 PM
Wow.  Wooooooow.  Saying that my Raiders took one on the chin today would be an insult to the phrase.  Wooster scored 9 in the 1st, 7 in the 2nd and cruised in a 31-5 laugher at MUC.  Mercifully it was only a single game. 

MUC has now dropped 8 of their last 9 in yet another season ending swoon.  How many times will I put my hand on the burner before I figure out it's hot?  Every year I look at the talent coming back and think "this is the year they get into the OAC tourney comfortably for once" and every year I get disappointed.  I feel bad for the kids because one, I know they have the talent to win, but more so because I know they're giving 100% and it's not paying off.  Most of all I feel bad for the seniors because every senior class thinks that they're going to be the ones that will overcome the internal situation there and still find a way to win.  It stings when you see that chance slip away.  I know this firsthand. 

 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 29, 2009, 02:34:01 AM
The Berg traveled to Wittenberg for a DH under the lights last night and came away with two W's.  Game 1 was 12-4 and game 2 was 9-3.  Just got home from the 3 hour drive, will supply details later this morning.    By the way, the Berg's record is now 31-7.  Congrats to Coach Matt Palm and the entire team.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2009, 10:25:21 AM
I don't think enough can be said about the job Palm has done and continues to do.  Berg was quite literally a mess when he got there.  If you need evidence, take a look at the career coaching records from about 1980 until Palm came to town in 2000.  They were winning at almost dead on a .300 clip.  Not exactly a program on the rise.  I think one thing that helped was when he arrived he found some talent there.  I recall playing Berg in 00-01 and Frank Balogh was one of the best guys to ever play for them.  I don't remember if Fischer was a senior Palm's 1st year or not, but I feel like he was.  Regardless, he quickly got the momentum going and it seemed like over night, taught those guys how to win and how to expect to win.  The difference between 1998 Berg and 2001 Berg was sick.  They just had a swagger about them.  It was great to see because you knew that all it took was a great young coach to scrap a couple decades of futility.  Unfortunately, no other OAC schools have duplicated the success (although JCU has a very good young coach, they weren't in the condition Berg was in).  I won't say that Palm walked into the worst situation, but it's not like he walked into Marietta (the stadium, the titles, the tradition) or even an Otterbein or JCU (nice program, great location to recruit kids to).  We're talking about convincing kids to come to Tiffin to play for a .300 program.  That is unbelievable.  He sold that program and he's backed it up.  Congratulations to Coach Palm.  He most certainly deserves it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 29, 2009, 10:39:22 AM
Boy, was it cold in Springfield last night, but only for the fans, as the Berg was red hot with a DH sweep of Wittnberg, 12-4 and 9-3.

In Game 1, B. Koehl turned in a fine game going 6 innings with 1 Run, 4 Hits and 2 K's for the W. Senor B. Hartman pitched the last inning.
Top Hitters were: G. Keene, 4-5, 2 RBI's, 1 Runs;  M. Grassley, 3-5, 2 RBI's, 2 Runs; B. Boytim, 3-5, 1 RBI, 1 Run; R. Lizcano, 3-4, 2 Runs; J. Wentworth, 2-5, 3 RBI's 3 Runs.

E. Williams, 4-0, started Game 2 and allowed only 1 Hit with 3 Ks over the first 5 innings.  Getting in some work were pitchers N. James, B. Stucky, M. Jones, and A. Lowe.
Hitting was supplied by G. Keene, 2-5, 2 RBI's, 1 Run; J. Lash, 2-4, 2 RBI's, 1 Run; J. Wentworth, 2-5, 2 Runs.

Sat. 5-2-09 vs John Carroll, Away.  Games at 1:00PM and 4:00PM.

GO BERGS!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 29, 2009, 11:50:53 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2009, 10:25:21 AM
I don't think enough can be said about the job Palm has done and continues to do.  Berg was quite literally a mess when he got there.  If you need evidence, take a look at the career coaching records from about 1980 until Palm came to town in 2000.  They were winning at almost dead on a .300 clip.  Not exactly a program on the rise.  I think one thing that helped was when he arrived he found some talent there.  I recall playing Berg in 00-01 and Frank Balogh was one of the best guys to ever play for them.  I don't remember if Fischer was a senior Palm's 1st year or not, but I feel like he was.  Regardless, he quickly got the momentum going and it seemed like over night, taught those guys how to win and how to expect to win.  The difference between 1998 Berg and 2001 Berg was sick.  They just had a swagger about them.  It was great to see because you knew that all it took was a great young coach to scrap a couple decades of futility.  Unfortunately, no other OAC schools have duplicated the success (although JCU has a very good young coach, they weren't in the condition Berg was in).  I won't say that Palm walked into the worst situation, but it's not like he walked into Marietta (the stadium, the titles, the tradition) or even an Otterbein or JCU (nice program, great location to recruit kids to).  We're talking about convincing kids to come to Tiffin to play for a .300 program.  That is unbelievable.  He sold that program and he's backed it up.  Congratulations to Coach Palm.  He most certainly deserves it.
I have only been involved with the Heidelberg Baseball program for the past two seasons and the vibrancy and the enthusiasm that Coach Palm brings to the playing field rubs off on his players. But not only to the players, it also spread to the familys and fans of the players who come out to encourage not only their respective favorite players, but the team as a whole.  We are all truly a family , sometimes out numbering  home team fans at away games.  Coach Palm has brought out the best into the whole Baseball experience for all envolved.










Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 29, 2009, 06:10:41 PM
Just my opinion on why Matt Palm has had success at Heileberg. He learned how to win when he played at Wooster. He learned how the game was supposed to be played, he saw what kind of student/athlete it takes to win, and he instilled a winning attitude. Great coaches are made. I'm sure he took what he learned along the way and tweaked it with his own personal touch. It gives me great pleasure to see an ex-Scot succeed.

Topic for debate: How are the Student Princes ranked ahead of the Scots in the region rankings? Their overall records are similar and Wooster has beat the Berg in 2 out of 3 this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 29, 2009, 11:18:18 PM
Quote from: old scot on April 29, 2009, 06:10:41 PM
Just my opinion on why Matt Palm has had success at Heileberg. He learned how to win when he played at Wooster. He learned how the game was supposed to be played, he saw what kind of student/athlete it takes to win, and he instilled a winning attitude. Great coaches are made. I'm sure he took what he learned along the way and tweaked it with his own personal touch. It gives me great pleasure to see an ex-Scot succeed.


+1


couldn't have said it better.  It just shows that coming from a strong program can lead to GREAT things.


Fischer was a SR in 2000.  He won the OAC player of the year award, and helped turn the program in the right direction, along with Balogh.  Fisher's POY was debateable, as Coakly hit .450 with 19 HR's, and 93 RBI's that year....but it was still deserved.  Both catchers were GREAT players, and guys like Fischer helped pave the way for what HEID has become today!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2009, 11:32:20 PM
Ugh...Jay Coakley.  My neck hurts just reading that name!!  That guy hit LASERS.

Without question Palm's pedigree has played a big role in his success.  Coach P has to be proud of him. 

mideast, are there any young Pioneer alums coaching?  Just wondering if there's a chance they could land in the OAC elsewhere at some point.  Maybe some of the lower level teams would be looking to catch lightning in a bottle like Berg did.  Or better yet, maybe one of the perennial .500 teams will finally get sick of being mediocre and make a change. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 30, 2009, 12:14:04 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2009, 11:32:20 PM
Ugh...Jay Coakley.  My neck hurts just reading that name!!  That guy hit LASERS.

Without question Palm's pedigree has played a big role in his success.  Coach P has to be proud of him. 

mideast, are there any young Pioneer alums coaching?  Just wondering if there's a chance they could land in the OAC elsewhere at some point.  Maybe some of the lower level teams would be looking to catch lightning in a bottle like Berg did.  Or better yet, maybe one of the perennial .500 teams will finally get sick of being mediocre and make a change. 

the only one I can think of would be Deegan, who is currently the head assistant at MC (and has been since 2004).   He was a 2001 MC grad and a great player....he could turn around an OAC school is given the chance.

The region is full of those types of guys right now, with Jeff Mountain (Allegheny, 2000) coaching at Wshington & Jefferson, and Tyler Mott (OWU, 2003 i think) at OWU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 30, 2009, 07:47:49 AM
Just one more thing to add about Coach Palm.  With every thing that has influenced his baseball career, it would never have gotten off the ground without the support and encouragement of his parents during his formative years and now.  They still attend most games and also help in forming the family atmosphere for the team and the fans.
And certainly, you have to add in his wife and children, as they are a constant source of support.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2009, 10:20:50 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 30, 2009, 12:14:04 AMthe only one I can think of would be Deegan, who is currently the head assistant at MC (and has been since 2004).   He was a 2001 MC grad and a great player....he could turn around an OAC school is given the chance.

The region is full of those types of guys right now, with Jeff Mountain (Allegheny, 2000) coaching at Wshington & Jefferson, and Tyler Mott (OWU, 2003 i think) at OWU.

I know the ONU coaching staff has been a topic on here this season, but on some level I like that ONU rolled the dice with a young coach.  I guess it depends on where you fall as an athletic dept.  There are some schools that are undeniably content with being .500 programs (the length of time their respective coaches have been there is such overwhelming evidence that you can't even argue against it).  I like that ONU said "Screw it, we're shaking things up and we're either going up or down, but we're going to take a chance."  Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't.  I just like the will to get to the top. 

What the Berg situation should do is give everyone hope.  Why can't my school or your school be the new Berg?  The OAC isn't like 10 years ago when it was Etta going 18-0 and everyone else hoping to just get a weekend at Pioneer Park playing for 2nd to end their season.  Will Berg be the favorite going into the OAC tourney?  Of course.  But let's say it's Berg, Etta, JCU and Ott...are you telling me you would say one of those teams has no chance to win it?  JCU just keeps winning, Etta already swept Berg in Tiffin and Ott seems to be peaking. 

I guess the point of this rant is that the kids all think they can compete and win, but the message comes from the school.  When you continue on your path and keep getting the same results it becomes second nature.  When you do what ONU did you're at least saying you want to get away from that and the best way is to take a chance.  And if that chance fails, then just call "dibs" on Deegan and try again.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 30, 2009, 11:05:17 PM
OAC fans, show some moxie!!! No one has answered my question of why is Heidelberg ranked ahead of Wooster in the region rankings? Wooster owns a 2 games to one advantage in head to head play and their overall records are equal. What is your opinion of why "it is what it is".
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 30, 2009, 11:24:27 PM
Quote from: old scot on April 30, 2009, 11:05:17 PM
OAC fans, show some moxie!!! No one has answered my question of why is Heidelberg ranked ahead of Wooster in the region rankings? Wooster owns a 2 games to one advantage in head to head play and their overall records are equal. What is your opinion of why "it is what it is".

I haven't answered to this point b/c honestly, it doesn't matter until THE LAST REGIONAL rankings come out.  I've been around long enough to know that rankings and such just don't always make sense b/c thy are done somewhat subjectively by a committee of coaches who haven't seen every team play every game.

I've also seen teams ranked #1 heading into the last week, they odn't lose a single game that week, and then drop to #2 in the final regional rankings before the Tournament Selection Sunday....it's just hard to figure it all out.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 30, 2009, 11:42:22 PM
Mid East, I appreceate  your responce. I'll never figure out the the rankings. I'm guessing that if your ranked in the top 2 in region, you'll get a pool C bid even if you don't win the auto-bid in your conference tourney.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 01, 2009, 10:26:01 AM
Quote from: old scot on April 30, 2009, 11:42:22 PM
Mid East, I appreceate  your responce. I'll never figure out the the rankings. I'm guessing that if your ranked in the top 2 in region, you'll get a pool C bid even if you don't win the auto-bid in your conference tourney.
My guess would be that Wooster and the Berg should both be considered Pool C locks at this point if they happen to not win the automatic bids from their respective conferences. 

Personally, I don't put as much stock into the regional rankings in baseball as I do, say, in basketball.  This is because the regional hosts are already predetermined in baseball. Whereas in basketball, the team ranked #1 regionally usually has the inside track at hosting at least one weekend in the NCAA tournament.  And as far as using the rankings for seeding in the regional tournament, there doesn't seem to be a large gap anymore
between the higher seeds and the lower seeds in the Mideast Region anymore.  You need not look any further than last year when Adrian (a five seed) avanced out of the Mideast Regional to the CWS.

I guess I just don't see what advantage there is to being ranked #1 or #2 except bragging rights...

Quote from: old scot on April 30, 2009, 11:05:17 PM
OAC fans, show some moxie!!! No one has answered my question of why is Heidelberg ranked ahead of Wooster in the region rankings? Wooster owns a 2 games to one advantage in head to head play and their overall records are equal. What is your opinion of why "it is what it is".

As for oldscot's question about why the Berg is ranked ahead of Wooster even thogh Wooster owns a 2-1 advantage head to head?  Head to head is just one of several criterea the ranking committee uses when determining the rankings.  Regional strenth of schedule seems to carry more weight than head to head results and  I would definitely say that the Berg has the edge when it comes to SOS or whatever formula the committee uses to determine who has the more difficult schedule.  With Wooster and the Berg having identical regional records, the edge is almost always going to go to the OAC school because the OAC is far deeper and allows for higher numbers to be added into whatever SOS formula is being used than Wooster can hope for playing in the weaker NCAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 01, 2009, 10:02:49 PM
ScotsFan,
       Good explanation on why Heileberg is ranked ahead of Wooster in the regional rankings. Strength of schedule must hold a lot of weight.
Personally, I put more importance on head to head match ups.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 02, 2009, 10:35:58 AM
The OAC wraps up league play this weekend. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, May 2nd
Heidelberg at John Carroll
Otterbein at Mount Union
Marietta at Ohio Northern
Muskingum at Capital
Wilmington at Baldwin-Wallace
Sunday, May 3rd
Otterbein at Ohio Northern


Current Standings

Heidelberg (13-3)
John Carroll (11-5)
Marietta (11-5)
Otterbein (9-5)
Mount Union (8-8)
Muskingum (8-8)
Baldwin-Wallace (7-9)
Capital (4-12)
Wilmington (4-12)
Ohio Northern (3-11)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on May 02, 2009, 11:58:51 AM
How huge is the MUC-OTT series today?

Too bad it's not down here in Columbus for you Dr. A...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 02, 2009, 06:52:30 PM
RESULTS:
Heidelberg SWEEPS John Carroll
Otterbein SPLITS Mount Union
Marietta SPLITS Ohio Northern
Muskingum SWEEPS Capital
Wilmington SPLITS Baldwin-Wallace

Schedule - Sunday, May 3rd:
Otterbein at Ohio Northern


Current Standings:

Heidelberg (15-3)
Marietta (12-6)
John Carroll (11-7)
Otterbein (10-6)
Muskingum (10-8)
Mount Union (9-9)
Baldwin-Wallace (8-10)
Wilmington (5-13)
Ohio Northern (4-12)
Capital (4-14)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 02, 2009, 09:49:59 PM
Congratulations to Coach Matt Palm and the Heidelberg Student Princes on being the OAC Regular Season Champs for the 2009 Season.  The  Berg swept John Carroll by the scores of 5-3, and 14-9.  This brings Coach Palm one game away from his 300th career win.

The OAC Tournament will be held at Heidelberg's Peaceful Valley May 7-9. Joining top seed Heidelberg will be John Carroll, Marietta and a team to be decided by Sundays OAC  games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 02, 2009, 10:16:35 PM
Quote from: Gramps on May 02, 2009, 09:49:59 PM
Congratulations to Coach Matt Palm and the Heidelberg Student Princes on being the OAC Regular Season Champs for the 2009 Season.  The  Berg swept John Carroll by the scores of 5-3, and 14-9.  This brings Coach Palm one game away from his 300th career win.

The OAC Tournament will be held at Heidelberg's Peaceful Valley May 7-9. Joining top seed Heidelberg will be John Carroll, Marietta and a team to be decided by Sundays OAC  games.

Heidelberg wrapped up the #1 seed (congrats!), while Marietta will be either the #2 or #3 seed.  John Carroll has clinched a spot, as well as Otterbein (even if they lose two tomorrow, they own the tie-breaker over Muskingum). 


So they field is set, should be a great tournament next weekend!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 02, 2009, 10:42:36 PM
Quote from: JK on May 02, 2009, 11:58:51 AM
How huge is the MUC-OTT series today?

Too bad it's not down here in Columbus for you Dr. A...

Even more agonizing because I was actually up in NE Ohio for a family obligation today.  I debated sneaking over to Alliance for the 1st game since I didn't have to meet up w/ the family until 5pm, but I knew if I went and they won I would want to stay.  Considering MUC won the opener I'm lucky I steered clear otherwise I would be in the doghouse right now...along with being disappointed. 

Things turned out well for what looks to be a great OAC tourney this year.  Very competitive field.  Whoever wins it will be battle tested to say the least. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2009, 09:03:07 AM
Marietta has added a few games this week to hopefully get some work in before the conference Tournament.  Because of wet field conditions, all games are on the road.

Today, they are scheduled to play Pitt-Greensburg in a DH at Thiel College.

Tuesday they will play at Thiel, against Thiel, in either a single game or a DH.

Hopefully they can pull out some much needed in-region victories to help boost their Pool C resume, if needed.  Currently they stand at 24-12, with a strong strength of schedule.  A few wins this week, and a couple wins in the Tournament could give them an at-large bid....we'll see.

It would be nice to see 2 OAC teams in the Regionals.
Title: 2009 OAC Tournament
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2009, 09:07:09 AM
May 7-9 in Tiffin, Ohio

Thursday:

#3 Otterbein vs #2 Marietta - 1:00pm
#4 John Carroll vs #1 Heidelberg - 4:00pm
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on May 04, 2009, 09:21:19 AM
Congrats to all the teams in the tournament.  I had a chance to catch the ONU Marietta game.  ONU finally showed some signs of life, as Hill and Miller pitched well again.  I hope this team can turn around their troubled last few seasons.  Thanks to all on the board for a great season and keeping everyone updated.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2009, 09:24:14 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2009, 09:03:07 AM
Marietta has added a few games this week to hopefully get some work in before the conference Tournament.  Because of wet field conditions, all games are on the road.

Today, they are scheduled to play Pitt-Greensburg in a DH at Thiel College.

Tuesday they will play at Thiel, against Thiel, in either a single game or a DH.

Hopefully they can pull out some much needed in-region victories to help boost their Pool C resume, if needed.  Currently they stand at 24-12, with a strong strength of schedule.  A few wins this week, and a couple wins in the Tournament could give them an at-large bid....we'll see.

It would be nice to see 2 OAC teams in the Regionals.

I like that.  If they can get to that 30 win mark one would have to think that their regional record, their SOS and the 30+ wins would make for a very hard resume to pass over.  I hope they find a way to get it done...2 OAC teams in are always a good thing.  
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on May 04, 2009, 10:00:09 AM
Wet field conditions, really??????????????
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2009, 10:21:37 AM
Quote from: a spectator on May 04, 2009, 10:00:09 AM
Wet field conditions, really??????????????

that's what the website says, at least.  Originally, the Pitt-Greensburg games were supposed to be in Marietta, but have been changed to Thiel.

Either the field is too wet, or Brewer wants to get the guys out of town for a few days to avoid Senior Week activities :)

http://www.marietta.edu/athletics/
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2009, 10:27:37 AM
CORRECTED SCHEDULE

2009 OAC Baseball Tournament Schedule at Heidelberg



Thursday, May 7
Game 1 John Carroll(4) vs. Heidelberg(1)1:00 p.m.
Game 2 Marietta(3) vs Otterbein(2) 4:00 p.m.

Friday, May 8
Game 3 Winners of Game #1 and Game #2 9:30 a.m.
Game 4 Loser of Game #1 and Game #2 12:30 p.m.
Game 5 Winner Game #4 vs. Loser Game #3 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 9
Game 6 Winners of Game #3 and Game #5 12:00 p.m.
Game 7 same teams as Game #6 (if necessary) 3:00 p.m
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2009, 05:23:57 PM
Since the regular season is officially over I will be the first to throw out my picks for All-OAC.  I only had time to come up w/ a 1st team, but I will put together a 2nd team and HM as soon as I have time.  I know these things don't matter, but it's fun to debate while we wait for the OAC tournament to start.

1B - Kreisher, BW
2B - Keen, Berg
3B - Cimino, Marietta
SS - Quimby, Ott
C - Whiteman, Musky
OF - Wentworth, Berg
OF - Gessner, Ott
OF - Kidd, BW
DH/UTL - Hickey, JCU
P - Paddock, Berg
P - Lowe, Berg
P - Van Meter, Musky

Note: I had a pretty good idea who I was going to go with at every position except the 3rd pitcher.  Nathan Van Meter had a great season for the Fish.  His record isn't great at 4-3, but his ERA is 1.30.  But that can be deceiving so I combed through the pitching stats.  His hits/inning and opponents' BA are unreal.  The toughest question in my mind is who wins the special awards?  You could make an argument for several people on all of them. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 05, 2009, 04:55:06 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2009, 09:24:14 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2009, 09:03:07 AM
Marietta has added a few games this week to hopefully get some work in before the conference Tournament.  Because of wet field conditions, all games are on the road.

Today, they are scheduled to play Pitt-Greensburg in a DH at Thiel College.

Tuesday they will play at Thiel, against Thiel, in either a single game or a DH.

Hopefully they can pull out some much needed in-region victories to help boost their Pool C resume, if needed.  Currently they stand at 24-12, with a strong strength of schedule.  A few wins this week, and a couple wins in the Tournament could give them an at-large bid....we'll see.

It would be nice to see 2 OAC teams in the Regionals.

I like that.  If they can get to that 30 win mark one would have to think that their regional record, their SOS and the 30+ wins would make for a very hard resume to pass over.  I hope they find a way to get it done...2 OAC teams in are always a good thing.  

The Pioneers swept Pitt-Greensburg on Monday, and split with Thiel today....they end their regular season at 27-13.

Just about every pitcher saw action these last two days, and hopefully all those at-bats will keep the bats ALIVE heading into the tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseballnut on May 05, 2009, 05:05:53 PM
While Marietta pulled back into the race with Otterbein for a Pool C bid after Otterbein had a mediocre weekend, the game they have together is a must win for Marietta.

I do not think the committee will take Marietta over Otterbein if they have lost to Otterbein 3 times....
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 05, 2009, 10:43:23 PM
Quote from: d3baseballnut on May 05, 2009, 05:05:53 PM
While Marietta pulled back into the race with Otterbein for a Pool C bid after Otterbein had a mediocre weekend, the game they have together is a must win for Marietta.

I do not think the committee will take Marietta over Otterbein if they have lost to Otterbein 3 times....

you could be right....then again, Otterbein didn't play a tough schedule like Marietta, and their only win against a ranked team was a victory over Carthage back in the first week of the season.  They got swept by Heidelberg, and didn't play any of the other top teams in the region.

Marietta beat Heidelberg TWICE on the road, beat Franklin, and beat Washington & Jefferson...all three of those schools were the regular season champs in the OAC, HCAC, and PAC (all mid-east conferences). 
  Plus they beat a top 10 UT-Tyler team.

Honestly, you are comparing Marietta (27-13) and Otterbein (22-15) to each other for Pool C bids, but in my opinion Otterbein doesn't even deserve to be in the conversation...they just don't have the wins and the resume.

We'll just have to see how this weekend plays out, and see who's left to get those Pool C bids.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2009, 11:59:43 PM
I don't really see how Otterbein's resume is that much better than JCU's right now.  If we're using the "can't pass over a team that beat them 3 times" then Ott better hope they don't lose to JCU at any point since they're already 0-2 against them.  I think Ott's non-conference schedule was definitely better than JCU's, but they didn't beat any top notch regional teams outside of the OAC.  The bottom line is it's in each of their respective hands...win the OAC tourney and sleep easy! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: a spectator on May 06, 2009, 09:47:13 AM
Does the Pool C bid only come from the OAC, what other conferences will be considered in an at large bid?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 06, 2009, 09:54:08 AM
Quote from: a spectator on May 06, 2009, 09:47:13 AM
Does the Pool C bid only come from the OAC, what other conferences will be considered in an at large bid?

ALL DIII teams can earn a Pool C bid...doesn't matter what conference they come from.

Pool A bids are handed out to 35 conference champions, and Pool B bids are handed out to 6 teams who don't play in a conference that qualifies for the automatic bids......after that, all other teams are in the hunt for the 13 remaining Pool C bids.

If you need to know more, go to the homepage and check out all the info....it's also on the National Topics forum under multiple different threads.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2009, 12:16:28 PM
First pitch of the OAC tournament is less than an hour away.  I don't have much to do this afternoon so needless to say I will be posting updates as often as I can.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 07, 2009, 01:17:44 PM
I'm off the next few days so I'll be following online and over the online radio broadcasts as well. 

Looks like they may be in a rain delay???  I checked the weather and today could be a long day of dodging raindrops, and tarp removal fun!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2009, 01:21:48 PM
Yep, looks like Game 1 is pushed back to 2pm due to rain.

#1 Berg (Paddock 8-2, 2.40) vs.#4 JCU (O'Donnell 6-2, 3.50)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2009, 03:01:59 PM
As of now, game 1 is starting at 3:30.  Mother Nature is gonna make this a busy next few days if this keeps up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 07, 2009, 03:16:39 PM
At Heidelberg:  Taking tarp off now,  game will start at 3:25.  I am not at the game, my daughter is texting me all the information.  Ain't technology great. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2009, 03:43:14 PM
Grassley homers in the 1st.  1-0 Berg after 1.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 07, 2009, 04:11:40 PM
JCU tied it up with a run in the 2nd...but Heidelberg has scored 6 times in the 3rd, on six hits.

End of the 3rd

JCU - 1
HEID - 7
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 07, 2009, 05:07:43 PM
bottom of the 6th

JCU - 3
HEID - 8

will be interesting to see what they do with game Two today...if they start it b/c wihtout lights they won't be able to finish.  Or if they just wait until tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2009, 05:15:05 PM
I hope they just wait until tomorrow for game 2.  I know it will be hard because they were already supposed to be starting at 9:30 tomorrow, but I would rather squeeze an extra game in Saturday than break that game into two days.  Especially because that first game is so big.

Berg added 1 more...now lead 9-3 after 6.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 07, 2009, 05:57:45 PM
Game ONE FINAL:

JCU - 3
HEID - 13

remaining schedule......

FRIDAY, MAY 8
Game 2  #3 Marietta vs. #2 Otterbein 9:30 a.m.
Game 3 Winner of Game One vs. Winner of Game Two 12:30 p.m.
Game 4 Loser of Game One vs. Loser of Game Two 4:00 p.m.
Game 5 Winner of Game Four vs. Loser of Game Three TBA

SATURDAY, MAY 9
Game 6 Winner of Game Three vs. Winner of Game Five 12:00 p.m.
Game 7 If necessary, same as Game Six  3:00 p.m.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 07, 2009, 06:19:14 PM
Game 2 will be played at 9:30 in the morning.  They are still discussing about Game 3.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2009, 06:21:17 PM
Glad to hear.  Worst case they have to bump the games back and play a game at 9:30 Saturday morning.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 07, 2009, 09:40:37 PM
With today's Win, Coach Matt Palm reached the Magic Plateau of 300 wins over his 10 year career. A  tip of the battered top hat to Coach Palm, may there be many more wins in his duffle bag.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2009, 11:37:00 PM
In other mideast conference tournament action...

Franklin (29-9) and Rose Hulman (29-11) held serve as the top 2 seeds in the HCAC tourney today defeating Anderson and Mt. St. Joe's, respectively. 

Top seeded W&J (30-11) and 3rd seed Thiel (28-13) won the opening games in the PAC tournament today.  Grove City (17-18) gave W&J a scare falling 2-1.

Wooster (33-8) and Kenyon (24-19) square off tomorrow night at 6pm in game 1 of the NCAC championship.

And Adrian won the MIAA.  I didn't even realize they didn't have a post-season tournament.  Shows how much I know about the MIAA.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 09:46:06 AM
They just posted on the tournament website that the first game (Game Two: Marietta/Otterbein) will start at 11:00am.

That would push game Three to about 2:30, and a possible game Four would start around 6:00.....unless the first couple are quick ones, I don't see them getting all three games in today...we'll see!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 11:45:31 AM
Marietta/Otterbein has been pushed back to 12:15. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 12:39:43 PM
wooohooooo, finally we're under way in Tiffin!!!  Marietta (Gasser) vs Otterbein (Williams).

crazy first inning.  both teams loaded the bases with NO outs, then they each ended up hitting into double-plays.  Otterbein won the inning though.

End of 1
MAR - 2
OTT - 4
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 01:28:35 PM
Otterbein had a huge 2-out rally in the bottom of the 3rd.  They scored 5 runs with 2 down, topped off by a 3-run HR by Rudman.

top of 4th

Mar - 2
Ott - 9
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 08, 2009, 01:41:25 PM
I might have to change my stance on whether or not Ott deserves a Pool C more than Marietta if they keep pouring it on like they are today.  Going 0-3 head to head could be tough to overcome for Marietta.  And then add the fact that Ott finished the season ahead of Marietta in the OAC regular season standings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 01:49:44 PM
It's 10-4 Ott in the top of the 5th, but Marietta is battling back.  They've scored 2 already in the 5th and have chased Cards starter Jeremy Williams w/ runners on 2nd & 3rd and nobody out.  This is far from over.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 01:50:16 PM
Quote from: ScotsFan on May 08, 2009, 01:41:25 PM
I might have to change my stance on whether or not Ott deserves a Pool C more than Marietta if they keep pouring it on like they are today.  Going 0-3 head to head could be tough to overcome for Marietta.  And then add the fact that Ott finished the season ahead of Marietta in the OAC regular season standings.

understandable.....side note though, they finished the regular season tied in the OAC standings at 12-6.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 01:52:46 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 01:49:44 PM
It's 10-4 Ott in the top of the 5th, but Marietta is battling back.  They've scored 2 already in the 5th and have chased Cards starter Jeremy Williams w/ runners on 2nd & 3rd and nobody out.  This is far from over.

couldn't have said it better....

MC scores a few more, including a huge 2-run HR by Beatty.  Score is now 10-9 OTT heading to the bottom of the 5th. 

This will be a bullpen game and a lot of runs could be scored.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 02:28:14 PM
Otterbein came back with 3 in the bottom of the 5th, all with 2 outs.  They have now scored 10 runs with 2 outs today....crazy.  MAR scored 1 in the 6th, but OTT answerred with one (again, with two outs).

Top of 7th
MAR - 10
OTT - 14
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 03:08:49 PM
Ott adds 4 in the bottom of the 7th...18-10 Cards in the 8th.  That 7th may be too much to overcome with only 6 outs to play with.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 03:41:36 PM
Game Three: Heidelberg vs Otterbein - 4:05pm

HEID better come out fast, b/c OTT has been swinging some hot bats today, and they already have about 5 or 6 at-bats a piece under their belt for the day.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 03:44:48 PM
Game 2 Final:  Ott 18, Marietta 10.  Alex Hayes picks up the W giving up 1 run over the final 4 innings.

mideast, is there a reason Gasser started instead of Knowlton?  Just curious.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseballnut on May 08, 2009, 03:52:13 PM
Not good for Marietta's Pool C chances.....good for Otterbein's
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 04:10:44 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 03:44:48 PM
Game 2 Final:  Ott 18, Marietta 10.  Alex Hayes picks up the W giving up 1 run over the final 4 innings.

mideast, is there a reason Gasser started instead of Knowlton?  Just curious.



wish I knew the answer, but I don't.  I'm sure there was some reason though.



d3baseballnut - they will most likely play each other again this weekend....I wouldn't venture a guess as to what the Pool C situation is, until the tournament is over.  Heck, if the mideast is an 8-team regional, they both could get in.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 04:40:20 PM
Fireworks early in game 3...Berg plates 5 in the 1st forcing Coach Powell to go to the pen just 2 outs into the game.  But Ott comes right back and has already scored 5 times in the 1st as well. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 04:47:31 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 04:10:44 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 03:44:48 PM
Game 2 Final:  Ott 18, Marietta 10.  Alex Hayes picks up the W giving up 1 run over the final 4 innings.

mideast, is there a reason Gasser started instead of Knowlton?  Just curious.



wish I knew the answer, but I don't.  I'm sure there was some reason though.

I'm sure there's a reason too.  I was just a little thrown that they would go with a freshman in their opener.  Maybe Brewer felt Gasser was throwing the best on his staff right now. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 04:51:28 PM
In the interest of Pool C watching...

Top seeds in 2 other conferences lost today.  Thiel beat W&J and RHIT beat Franklin.  Both top seeds are still alive, but thought I would update everyone since I would think everyone in here is pulling for the top seeds to help our chances to get multiple teams in.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2009, 06:10:55 PM
Berg leads Ott 12-5 middle 7.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2009, 06:54:36 PM
Otterbein had big innings in the 7th and 8th to tie it up at 12.....Heidelberg came back with a run in the 9th, and is trying to hold on for the win.

Bottom of 9th
HEID - 13
OTT - 12
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 08, 2009, 07:10:15 PM
Berg scrambles to win with a run in the 9th and good D in the bottom of the 9th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseballnut on May 08, 2009, 11:24:53 PM
Quote from: Gramps on May 08, 2009, 07:10:15 PM
Berg scrambles to win with a run in the 9th and good D in the bottom of the 9th.

otterbein is in.....Pool C bid.....
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 11:54:31 AM
Marietta and JCU are tied 6-6 going to the 8th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 11:55:23 AM
MAR and JCU are in a nail biter....loser goes home.

Top of 8th
MAR - 6
JCU - 6

either there's a delay, or the stats stopped updating.  It's been in between innings for quite a while now.  And the Marietta radio broadcast has been off all game; or at least I can't get it to come in.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 12:02:08 PM
Quote from: d3baseballnut on May 08, 2009, 11:24:53 PM
Quote from: Gramps on May 08, 2009, 07:10:15 PM
Berg scrambles to win with a run in the 9th and good D in the bottom of the 9th.

otterbein is in.....Pool C bid.....

They are?  I thought Berg won...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 12:04:59 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 12:02:08 PM
Quote from: d3baseballnut on May 08, 2009, 11:24:53 PM
Quote from: Gramps on May 08, 2009, 07:10:15 PM
Berg scrambles to win with a run in the 9th and good D in the bottom of the 9th.

otterbein is in.....Pool C bid.....

They are?  I thought Berg won...

he's just guessing that OTT will get a pool C bid..nothing set in stone yet.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 12:08:03 PM
I thought the implication there was that Ott was now probably getting a Pool C bid because they almost beat Berg.  I'm just not a believer in "good losses".
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 12:09:16 PM
I agree Dr Acula....I think you and I agree on most things!!!


action is back up on the live stats and it looks like the 8th was a good one....Marietta win and advances.

FINAL
MAR - 8
JCU - 7
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 12:51:47 PM
Man is Cameron Cimino swinging a hot bat for the Pios!  I believe he's now 7 for 9 so far in the tournament.  Ridiculous.

Anyone know what the story is with Hickey from JCU?  I noticed in the box score from game 1 that he was replaced late in the game.  I assumed possibly because they were down big and maybe Thibeault wanted to get an upperclassmen an AB or something.  But then he didn't play against Etta today at all.  I hope he's not hurt or anything, but I can't imagine another reason to remove the conference's leading hitter from the lineup.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 01:42:23 PM
both offenss are rolling, only OTT is the one that is cashng in.  They have once again scored runs with 2-outs....so far 3 of them this game.    Marietta hit into a bases loaded DP to end the first.

Middle of the 2nd
OTT  - 4
MAR - 0
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 02:30:51 PM
Cimino is on fire right now, hitting everything!!!!  he's 3-3 in the game, with a triple and HUGE 2-run HR to tie the game in the 4th at 6-6.

End of 4
OTT - 6
MAR - 6
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 02:45:57 PM
If there was any question who the POY is this year I think that debate is all but pointless now.  I thought Cimino was the frontrunner anyway, but how can you argue against a guy that plays like this when it matters most.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 02:49:30 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 02:45:57 PM
If there was any question who the POY is this year I think that debate is all but pointless now.  I thought Cimino was the frontrunner anyway, but how can you argue against a guy that plays like this when it matters most.

that will be interesting, b/c I know they used to have the coaches meeting to determine the all-OAC teams, POY, etc on the first night of the OAC tournament (Wed or Thurs night).  If that's still the case, the tournament stats won't factor in to it...we'll see.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 03:08:49 PM
ughhhhh , these live stats keep getting stuck...and with Cimino up with no outs and a runner on, and down 7-6 in the 6th!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 03:33:18 PM
finally, live stats are back!!   looks like both teams had some chances in the last two innings, but no one scored.

Bottom of 8th
OTT - 7
MAR - 6

Cimino, Beatty, Levens coming to the plate.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 03:35:52 PM
Cimino k's (now 10 for 15), then Beatty follows with a HR to tie the game 7-7...he's been hot this tournament too (8 for 13)!!  Levens singles, moves to 2nd on a wild pitch, and scores the go ahead run on a 2-out single by DeSico. 


Top of the 9th

OTT - 7
MAR - 8
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 03:52:15 PM
Holy crap...I just checked the live stats for the PAC championship.  Thiel blows up for 8 runs in the top of the 2nd only to see W&J score 16 in the bottom half of the inning.  16!!!  Then Thiel comes right back and answers w/ 6 more in the 3rd!  Talk about a bad day to be a pitcher.  W&J needs a win to force a winner-take-all title game.

Franklin beat Mt. St. Joe's and moves into the HCAC championship game(s) against RHIT this afternoon.  Franklin needs to beat RHIT twice.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 04:01:59 PM
^^^^^ crazy!

Otterbein scores 2 in the 9th, and now leads 9-8.  Marietta has Cimino and Beaty coming up 3rd and 4th in the bottom of the 9th....things could get interesting.


******* side note - with all the high scoring games this tournament, it shows how there isn't a clear-cut domitating pitcher in the OAC this year.  will be interesting to see who gets the Tekulve Award.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 09, 2009, 04:04:24 PM
What a game between Ott and Marietta!  This one looks as one of those games where you like to be the home team with the last at bat as Marietta is!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 04:06:02 PM
^^^ i agree.  just like the 06 and 07 seasons between these two!

Saunders singles, and is bunted over to  2nd...it's up to Cimino and Beatty.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 04:14:15 PM
HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beatty homers with 2-outs, and Marietta wins 10-9...classic!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 09, 2009, 04:27:10 PM
Sounds like an exciting game. Nice win for Etta. Will they have anything left to take down the Berg? Can they fight off a let down after 2 emotional one run wins?

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 05:09:26 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 04:01:59 PM
******* side note - with all the high scoring games this tournament, it shows how there isn't a clear-cut domitating pitcher in the OAC this year.  will be interesting to see who gets the Tekulve Award.

It's going to be interesting for sure.  I think Lowe has been the most dominant pitcher by a large margin.  I went through his appearances on a game by game basis and he just doesn't give up runs (or hits, really).  But what are the odds that they give the award to an underclassmen reliever?  If I was betting on it I guess I would bet on Paddock.  Good numbers, ace of the top team, senior.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 05:11:17 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2009, 04:14:15 PM
HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beatty homers with 2-outs, and Marietta wins 10-9...classic!

Wow!  Talk about a fun game.  Today definitely would have been a great choice if anyone wanted to check out some OAC baseball in person.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseballnut on May 09, 2009, 08:17:43 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 12:08:03 PM
I thought the implication there was that Ott was now probably getting a Pool C bid because they almost beat Berg.  I'm just not a believer in "good losses".

I believe Otterbein and Marietta are both in.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 09:01:02 PM
Quote from: d3baseballnut on May 09, 2009, 08:17:43 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 12:08:03 PM
I thought the implication there was that Ott was now probably getting a Pool C bid because they almost beat Berg.  I'm just not a believer in "good losses".

I believe Otterbein and Marietta are both in.

I hope you're right!  I haven't looked at Franklin and RHIT's resumes against Ott's.  One of them is going to be a 30 win conference runner up.  Just don't know how strong their 30 W's are...

Oh, and I agree Marietta is in. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseballnut on May 09, 2009, 09:14:39 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 09:01:02 PM
Quote from: d3baseballnut on May 09, 2009, 08:17:43 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 12:08:03 PM
I thought the implication there was that Ott was now probably getting a Pool C bid because they almost beat Berg.  I'm just not a believer in "good losses".

I believe Otterbein and Marietta are both in.

I hope you're right!  I haven't looked at Franklin and RHIT's resumes against Ott's.  One of them is going to be a 30 win conference runner up.  Just don't know how strong their 30 W's are...

Oh, and I agree Marietta is in. 

IF Marietta is in, Otterbein I beleive is in since they were ranked ahead of Marietta on thursday. They split, and Marrietta has one more win this weekend, but thats only because they lost their first game so they played an extra one.

I doubt Rose Hulman or Franklin has a chance since they fell out of the rankings last week. Personally, I think Rose Hulman deserves a bid, and I do not understand why they fell out after winning 10 straight games. But, given that you are an otterbein fan, it bodes well for you. I really think Otterbein is in bc of a tough schedule
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 09:51:24 PM
^^^^^ Good points.  I think the OAC is the only multiple bid conference this yr, but I'm also biased. 

The only thing you were off base on is that I'm not an Otter...I'm a Mount fan.  This obviously means when it comes to hoping for regional qualifiers I'm relegated to rooting for any OAC team to get in since my team can't even make the OAC tournament, let alone the Regional.  (Cue the violins)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 09, 2009, 11:22:32 PM
Posr season accolades to Heidelberg Baseball:

Named to the ESPN "Academic All American" District 4, are:

          !ST TEAM:     Biagio Boytim, 3.50 GPA

          2ND TEAM:    Steve Decker, 3.51 GPA

                               Jason Lash,     3.55 GPA

Congrats to these young men, they are a credit to their team and their school.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 10, 2009, 10:31:54 AM
Quote from: d3baseballnut on May 09, 2009, 08:17:43 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2009, 12:08:03 PM
I thought the implication there was that Ott was now probably getting a Pool C bid because they almost beat Berg.  I'm just not a believer in "good losses".

I believe Otterbein and Marietta are both in.
With the way the rankings are and all of the favorites winning the A's so far in the Mideast, I would agree that it looks pretty good for both Ott and Marietta for Pool C's right now.

Franklin and RHIT both seem to be deserving and as Drac said, the loser of their game today will more than likely be staying home with 30+ wins. 

As it stands, I think the HCAC is the only Mideast Region conference that could have a beef about not getting a C bid.  I don't see anyone even remotely worthy from any of the other Mideast region conferences which is why the OAC has a real possibility of getting 3 teams into the tournament. 

Also, if the OAC is to get more than one Pool C, don't be surprised to see one of those teams shipped out to another region like what happened to OWU last year...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2009, 11:30:32 AM
Mideast Regional updates:
- Adrian is the MIAA champion
- Wooster is the NCAC champion
- Washington & Jefferson is the PAC champion
- Franklin vs RHIT for the HCAC championship today (Franklin must win twice)
- Marietta vs Heidelberg for the OAC championship (Marietta must win twice)
- Otterbein, and the loser of the OAC title game, have great shots at Pool C bids!!!


OAC Championship game is under way!!

Top 3rd
HEID - 0
MAR - 0
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2009, 01:04:33 PM
Heidelberg has a big 7th inning to take the lead.

Bottom of 7th
HEID - 5
MAR - 1





Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2009, 01:38:24 PM
FINAL
HEID - 5
MAR - 1

Heidelberg wins the OAC championship and gets the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament...congrats!!!!!!

Marietta and Otterbein will have to wait until about 2am to find out if they are granted at-large bids.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2009, 03:29:15 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2009, 11:30:32 AM
Mideast Regional updates:
- Adrian is the MIAA champion
- Wooster is the NCAC champion
- Washington & Jefferson is the PAC champion
- Franklin vs RHIT for the HCAC championship today (Franklin must win twice)

Franklin beat RHIT in extra innings yesterday, so they were playing a winner-take-all game at noon today.  Should have the result on that one soon I would think.

Congrats to Berg on their OAC crown too.  I think Etta is in and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Cards too. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2009, 03:30:57 PM
And no sooner do I post and that HCAC score is up...

RHIT wins it 17-10 over Franklin.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2009, 04:11:36 PM
All-Tournament Team

Most Valuable Player/Second Base: Gar Keen, Heidelberg
Designated Hitter: Chris Beatty, Marietta
Pitcher: David Paddock, Heidelberg
Pitcher: Elvin Williams, Heidelberg
Pitcher: Chris Stewart, Marietta
Catcher: Steve Decker, Heidelberg
First Base: Adam Milanovich, John Carroll
Short Stop: Jason Lash, Heidelberg
Third Base: Cameron Cimino, Marietta
Outfield: Matt Grassley, Heidelberg
Outfield: Jeremy Wentworth, Heidelberg
Outfield: John Sansbury, Otterbein
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: INbaseballfan on May 10, 2009, 07:03:34 PM
I think we can all agree that the Mideast is a loaded region this year.

My personal opinion is these 8 teams should be playing in Adrian come Wednesday.  If not, maybe one of the Pool C's gets shipped to Rock Island and a team like Thomas More or Thiel is in this regional.  Thoughts?

Wooster
Heidelberg
Adrian
Rose-Hulman
Otterbein
Marietta
Franklin
Washington and Jefferson
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 11, 2009, 02:37:45 AM
Congratulations to Marietta, and sorry about that Otterbein.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 02:39:56 AM
The regional is set:

Hosted by Adrian, Adrian, Michigan
1.   Heidelberg (36-7)
2.   Wooster (35-8)
3.   Marietta (29-15)
4.   Adrian (31-9)
5.   Concordia Chicago (33-13)
6.   Rose-Hulman (31-12)

Ott didn't get in and W&J got shipped to Salisbury.  Best of luck to the Berg and Etta! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseballnut on May 11, 2009, 08:14:51 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 02:39:56 AM
The regional is set:

Hosted by Adrian, Adrian, Michigan
1.   Heidelberg (36-7)
2.   Wooster (35-8)
3.   Marietta (29-15)
4.   Adrian (31-9)
5.   Concordia Chicago (33-13)
6.   Rose-Hulman (31-12)

Ott didn't get in and W&J got shipped to Salisbury.  Best of luck to the Berg and Etta! 

That region is stacked...wow...what a tough draw for heidelberg first round with RHIT
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on May 11, 2009, 11:06:58 AM
Do coaches put players in for all OAC teams?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 11:42:57 AM
As mideast mentioned earlier, in the past the coaches used to get together right at the start of the OAC tournament to come up with the All-OAC teams.  My understanding was that they all kind of threw out their guys they thought deserved it, gave an explanation and then they all went through and voted.  I would assume this is still the case.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 11:47:16 AM
Here is the link to the Mideast Regional website:

http://adrianbulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/09mideastregional.html (http://adrianbulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/09mideastregional.html)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 12:09:20 PM
All-OAC teams are out:

http://www.oac.org/documents/BaseballAll-OAC2009.pdf (http://www.oac.org/documents/BaseballAll-OAC2009.pdf)

Special award winners were Cimino and Lowe.  IMO, the correct choices for both.  Congratulations to both guys.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 03:15:04 PM
Just had a chance to look over the All-OAC picks.  I'm very disappointed in MUC coach Paul Hesse.  How can you not successfully get Nate McFarland in there somehwere?  He's a senior and a captain and got beat out by a sophomore.  Their resumes looked similar on paper except one guy hit 45 points higher and was a senior.  How does the senior not get the nod? Sad.  Well, I'll at least thank Nate for putting together a nice career at the hot corner for the Raiders.  He and Slaybaugh will be tough to replace in the lineup in '10.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on May 11, 2009, 03:16:31 PM
I feel you there.  Senior Brian Hill had almost IDENTICAL stats to sophomore Justin Miller.  had one more win and one more loss, and Bergman didnt get him on there for even honorable mention.  what a coach.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 03:27:42 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on May 11, 2009, 03:16:31 PM
I feel you there.  Senior Brian Hill had almost IDENTICAL stats to sophomore Justin Miller.  had one more win and one more loss, and Bergman didnt get him on there for even honorable mention.  what a coach.

Take a look at the pitchers that got HM.  There a couple of SHAKY picks in there.  And that's being generous.  I'll put it to you this way, given ONU's overall talent level and how Hill pitched for them he is almost embarrassingly more deserving to be at least HM.  I feel terrible for the kid now that I took a better look at who got recognized ahead of him.

The good news is this is all politics and as of this morning we have a 1 in 3 chance of winning the Regional.  Time for all of us to band together and pull for the OAC! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on May 11, 2009, 05:30:08 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 03:27:42 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on May 11, 2009, 03:16:31 PM
I feel you there.  Senior Brian Hill had almost IDENTICAL stats to sophomore Justin Miller.  had one more win and one more loss, and Bergman didnt get him on there for even honorable mention.  what a coach.

Take a look at the pitchers that got HM.  There a couple of SHAKY picks in there.  And that's being generous.  I'll put it to you this way, given ONU's overall talent level and how Hill pitched for them he is almost embarrassingly more deserving to be at least HM.  I feel terrible for the kid now that I took a better look at who got recognized ahead of him.

The good news is this is all politics and as of this morning we have a 1 in 3 chance of winning the Regional.  Time for all of us to band together and pull for the OAC! 

Looking over the people on the All OAC picks, there is no way that the coach put him up for the honor.  My son called Brian and i guess Brian was very upset but cant do much about it.  All Brian said was "senior year down the drain".  Im not sure if i can blame his attitude after all that i have seen this year.

Congrats to all of the all oac picks.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on May 11, 2009, 09:15:55 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 03:15:04 PM
Just had a chance to look over the All-OAC picks.  I'm very disappointed in MUC coach Paul Hesse.  How can you not successfully get Nate McFarland in there somehwere?    

Im not sure what happened this year, however i was privy to some inside information from last years meeting and from what i heard, Mount Unions coach was like the little boy trying to play stick ball with his older brother in the park. He would try to do something, be unsuccessful, and then just let it go without a fight. Overmatched in personality and ego to promote his own players. Same reason why Ferrell was an OAC HM last year but 2nd team All-Region.

and by the way, i hate to say i told you so, but . . .
Quote from: inthecrease on April 09, 2009, 12:25:52 AM
I remember last year where the raiders were 6-0 in oac play entering this week and were 7-3 by the end of the week and their dynamic of the season changed from a regular season championship to fighting for 4th. This just seems like deja vu all over again.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 10:40:32 PM
Quote from: inthecrease on May 11, 2009, 09:15:55 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2009, 03:15:04 PM
Just had a chance to look over the All-OAC picks.  I'm very disappointed in MUC coach Paul Hesse.  How can you not successfully get Nate McFarland in there somehwere?    

Im not sure what happened this year, however i was privy to some inside information from last years meeting and from what i heard, Mount Unions coach was like the little boy trying to play stick ball with his older brother in the park. He would try to do something, be unsuccessful, and then just let it go without a fight. Overmatched in personality and ego to promote his own players. Same reason why Ferrell was an OAC HM last year but 2nd team All-Region.

and by the way, i hate to say i told you so, but . . .
Quote from: inthecrease on April 09, 2009, 12:25:52 AM
I remember last year where the raiders were 6-0 in oac play entering this week and were 7-3 by the end of the week and their dynamic of the season changed from a regular season championship to fighting for 4th. This just seems like deja vu all over again.

Let's just say I'm NOT privy to any inside info, but I would guarantee that's been the case for 13 straight years now when it comes to All-OAC voting. 

As for the other part...after this many years I would guess most Raider fans don't get too high on early season starts.  We know our best case scenario is normally backing into the 4th spot of the tourney.  Other than that we wait around for the crushing sweep by some middle of the road team that derails the season.  Sad, but the truth hurts. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on May 12, 2009, 09:43:07 AM
Dont get me started about Paul Hesse and the MUC program...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2009, 11:25:47 AM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on May 12, 2009, 09:43:07 AM
Dont get me started about Paul Hesse and the MUC program...

Since there's nothing going on today I was going to suggest that you and OACbballfan3 should have a post-off to determine who has a lower opinion of their team's coach, but I'm afraid it may be too depressing. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on May 12, 2009, 11:29:11 AM
All I am going to say is that I am now an alum like you and any criticism is fair game now
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on May 12, 2009, 11:35:25 AM
Guys,

On this Hill and McFarland debate...

I surely can't speak for all coaches, but the general theory (at least in football) about HM all-OAC is that you nominate guys for that team who are underclassmen so you can have some "returning all-OAC performers."  It is very rare for a Sr. to get HM, unless they were previously 1st or 2nd team, had a good year, but got passed by guys who had great years, like Knowlton.

Plus, I belive there is a rule (if not a rule, then a tradition) making sure that every team has at least one all-OAC rep.  Cap and Wilma had to get one each, taking two spots from others.

Not saying other guys aren't more deserving, but that's just kind of the way it goes.  Rarely do coaches nominate a Sr. for HM to say "thanks for a great career."  Plus, their careers are most likely over.  It's not like it helps the player anymore like an HM all-league as a Sr. in HS can help going into college.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2009, 12:11:33 PM
JK, your logic on seniors getting HM when they were previously 1st/2nd team guys (ala Knowlton) makes sense to me.  I'm fine with Knowlton, he's earned it.  But there were 2 other seniors and a junior that had not previously been All-OAC.  At that point I think Hill needs to be in the discussion.

I'm obviously biased on McFarland's behalf, but the bottom line is the only 3B who had better numbers than him was Cimino.  I could understand if it was a trade like "I'll concede McFarland if you guys give me a spot for this underclassmen of mine."  That makes sense.  But MUC didn't get any borderline guys in.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 12, 2009, 12:44:15 PM
They started a new tradition at Heidelberg after the ceremonies at the plate celebrating the winning of the OAC Tournament.

Saturday was GRADUATION DAY at Heidelberg, but the baseball team seniors had to be at Peaceful Valley.  So, Coach Matt Palm arrainged for  a graduation at home plate for the five seniors who missed the official ceremonies and instead of moving the tassels on the motor board to the left, they switched the brims of their baseball caps to the left.

Congratulations and best of luck in your chosen proffesions to:  B. BOYTIM, J. WENTWORTH, M. GRASSLEY, L. B. EMRHEIN, D. PADDOCK.

A very neat idea, seeing as they spent the better part of their college days at the baseball field.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on May 12, 2009, 01:15:19 PM
Dr. Ac,

Doesn't always hold true.  Their coaches  might have thought those guys deserved it and had some young guys on 1st or second team, so they already have some "returning all-OAC-ers."

Looking at the All-OAC teams:
Lassak (Ott) and Grassley (Heid) were two of the other Sr. on the HM list and they were previous all-OAC guys like Knowlton.  The one Sr who wasn't a returning all-OAC was Cairo (JCU) and they had a couple of Jrs and Sophs on the Second Team.  Put a Jr. on the HM list is fine...he'll return next year.

This rationale makes sense for everyone but BW, who looks like only nominated Seniors...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2009, 02:35:56 PM
I see your point.  I was only looking at pitchers I guess.  As I said, there are, IMO, some suspect HM picks as far as pitchers go.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on May 12, 2009, 05:28:16 PM
Quote from: JK on May 12, 2009, 11:35:25 AM
Guys,

On this Hill and McFarland debate...

I surely can't speak for all coaches, but the general theory (at least in football) about HM all-OAC is that you nominate guys for that team who are underclassmen so you can have some "returning all-OAC performers."  It is very rare for a Sr. to get HM, unless they were previously 1st or 2nd team, had a good year, but got passed by guys who had great years, like Knowlton.

Plus, I belive there is a rule (if not a rule, then a tradition) making sure that every team has at least one all-OAC rep.  Cap and Wilma had to get one each, taking two spots from others.

Not saying other guys aren't more deserving, but that's just kind of the way it goes.  Rarely do coaches nominate a Sr. for HM to say "thanks for a great career."  Plus, their careers are most likely over.  It's not like it helps the player anymore like an HM all-league as a Sr. in HS can help going into college.

Jk, im not saying your wrong... BUT if you look at the pitchers on first, second and HM, Hill matches up to everyone of them.  Not only did ONU have a bad offense, but the defense was pitiful also.  He had many loses that shouldnt have been given to him (John Carroll 0 ER).  I honestly believe that Bergman didnt put him up for it, because the second team performers matched up equally to what he did with better teams behind them.

Im not saying they did not deserve it, i am just voicing a lonely opinion.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 12, 2009, 06:30:28 PM
Quote from: Gramps on May 12, 2009, 12:44:15 PM
They started a new tradition at Heidelberg after the ceremonies at the plate celebrating the winning of the OAC Tournament.

Saturday was GRADUATION DAY at Heidelberg, but the baseball team seniors had to be at Peaceful Valley.  So, Coach Matt Palm arrainged for  a graduation at home plate for the five seniors who missed the official ceremonies and instead of moving the tassels on the motor board to the left, they switched the brims of their baseball caps to the left.

Congratulations and best of luck in your chosen proffesions to:  B. BOYTIM, J. WENTWORTH, M. GRASSLEY, L. B. EMRHEIN, D. PADDOCK.

A very neat idea, seeing as they spent the better part of their college days at the baseball field.

pretty neat.  I remember at Marietta, we held our graduation at Pioneer Park (home plate in caps and gowns) for 2 or 3 of the years that I was there.  It always coincided with graduation weekend, and with the rain, it usually coincided with the ceremony.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 12, 2009, 07:03:01 PM
WOW!!!  Two years in a row, Heidelberg Coach MATT PALM, named OAC "COACH OF THE YEAR".  And a more deserving person can't be found. 

CONGRATULATIONS Coach Palm and best of luck in the regionals and hopefully in the nationals.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 12, 2009, 10:09:03 PM
Gramps,
       While I enjoy reading your posts and admire your loyalty to Heidelberg, take an objective look at coach of the year honors. In my perspective of coach of the year, honors should go to the coach who does the most with the least. I don't think Matt Palm did that. The Berg was loaded and favorites to win the OAC. I would think Marietta coach Brian Brewer would be a more deserving candidate.

In the NCAC I don't think Wooster's coach deserves that honor just because they won the conference. I would vote for Kenyon coach Matt Burdette.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 13, 2009, 12:25:08 AM
Quote from: old scot on May 12, 2009, 10:09:03 PM
Gramps,
       While I enjoy reading your posts and admire your loyalty to Heidelberg, take an objective look at coach of the year honors. In my perspective of coach of the year, honors should go to the coach who does the most with the least. I don't think Matt Palm did that. The Berg was loaded and favorites to win the OAC. I would think Marietta coach Brian Brewer would be a more deserving candidate.

In the NCAC I don't think Wooster's coach deserves that honor just because they won the conference. I would vote for Kenyon coach Matt Burdette.
Thanks "old scot", I try to be entertaining with my posts and as far as loyaty, yours is just as much for Wooster. Go to your Posts 26,27,& 28 pertaining to Coach P., and you have every right to expound on his virtues.
Regarding OAC "Coach of the Year", that was voted for him by his Peers (Fellow Coaches).  For their own personal reasons, they believed that he deserved it.  If you feel that he didn't deserve it, than you have your personal reason for it, and you'r entitled to it. All I did was pass on the information that he received the award , passed on to him by his fellow coaches.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 13, 2009, 09:47:40 AM
Touche Gramps.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 13, 2009, 10:04:43 AM
As for the regional, I would have to say Heidelberg would be my pick as the favorite. I think they have the depth required on the mound to go deep in this type of tourney.

Don't count out Wooster. If they can get strong pitching I think they can hang in there. If the opposition gets into their bullpen they will have to out slug them.

Also, Etta could be a dark horse. They have a history of elevating their game come playoff time.

Good luck and good baseball to all. I'm looking forward to an exciting series!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2009, 02:11:25 PM
Berg is still in a rain delay. 

Looks like RHIT is starting Derek Eitel opposite Paddock.  Eitel is 9-1, 4.34 ERA, 74 2/3 IP, 58 H, 75 K, .214 Opp BA.  It looks like he's one of three very solid starters for RH.

On O they're led by HCAC MVP Tim Tepe.  He hit an even .500 w/ 7 HR, 6 3B, 20 2B and 57 RBI. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on May 13, 2009, 02:30:08 PM
Hill does match up with all the pitchers on the All-OAC teams... all of them.  I never said he wasn't deserving based on his performance.  Just trying to offer a perspective as to why he didn't get it.  If Bergman did it out of spite, then that is between them and not very professional.

And how do we know he wasn't in the discussion.  He could have been nominated for 1st team, not voted in, nominated for 2nd and not gotten it, at which point Bergman said "I better nominate a couple of young guys to have some returning all-oac'ers."  We'll never know.

I hope that the young man doesn't need an all-OAC HM nod to justify his career.  I hope he is proud enough to have represented his University well and pitched his heart out every time he went to the hill.  I know it stings now, having been such a big part of ONU for 4 years, but eventually he'll get over it and see the bigger picture.  I did and I think those of you who played any sport did as well...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OACguy on May 13, 2009, 08:59:40 PM
I'm obviously biased on McFarland's behalf, but the bottom line is the only 3B who had better numbers than him was Cimino.

Hiscox from Otterbein didnt have better numbers than McFarland?? 18 homeruns, 50 rbi, led the league in total bases, hit .380, pretty much top 5 in every other offensive category...

As far as coach of the year going to palm, he deserves it. Great coach and a great guy. Someone who I would have liked to see get the award was coach Powell from otterbein. Anyway, who thought that OC would even be in the tournament, let alone the 2 seed. Alot of people thought otterbein was going to be in the gutter after losing so much.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2009, 10:18:35 PM
Quote from: OACguy on May 13, 2009, 08:59:40 PM
Hiscox from Otterbein didnt have better numbers than McFarland?? 18 homeruns, 50 rbi, led the league in total bases, hit .380, pretty much top 5 in every other offensive category...

Wow, terrible oversight on my part regarding Hiscox.  I was only looking at 2nd team/HM and totally forgot that he was also on the 1st team.  Obviously more than deserving given his great year. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 20, 2009, 07:28:12 AM
I would like to send my congratulations to two outstanding athletes from Heidelberg who achieved "ALL AMERICAN" :
   2nd Team - Andy Lowe and  Honorable Mention - Gar Keene

In addition, Six members of this years team have been named to Mid-East All Regional Team.  They are:

    1st Team - Dave Paddock, Andy Lowe and Gar Keene

    2nd Team - Jeremy Wentworth and Biagio Boytim

    3rd Team - Jason Lash

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 20, 2009, 08:37:34 AM
^^^ I'm guessing that you're referring to the D3baseball.com "All-American team"  & the ABCA All Mideast Regional team.

They are two different organizations who pick their teams differently. 

When a player is First Team All Mideast Region (ABCA), they then qualify for the ABCA All-American Teams.  Those will be announced at the banquet tonight in Appleton.

Congrats to those guys!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 20, 2009, 12:59:02 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 20, 2009, 08:37:34 AM
^^^ I'm guessing that you're referring to the D3baseball.com "All-American team"  & the ABCA All Mideast Regional team.

They are two different organizations who pick their teams differently. 

When a player is First Team All Mideast Region (ABCA), they then qualify for the ABCA All-American Teams.  Those will be announced at the banquet tonight in Appleton.

Congrats to those guys!

Your assumption is correct.  Thanks for the clarification.


The OAC just put out the 2009 Baseball Academic All-Conference Recipients and I'd also like to give a head's up to these Student-athletes from Heidelberg University.

Willie Brechun,Jason Lash, Steve Decker, and Biago Boytim (Academic All-OAC)
Nathan James - (Honorable Mention)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 20, 2009, 08:41:56 PM
Marietta had Cimino (1st team), Beatty (1st team), and Stewart (3rd team) named to the All Mideast Region Teams.

Cimino and Beatty are now eligible for All-American notice from the ABCA.


Congrats guys!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on May 21, 2009, 10:43:22 AM
Anyone know who the leading candidate is for the Capital job?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: HOF on May 21, 2009, 10:49:51 PM
Capital has an opening?  I didn't know?  What happened?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on May 22, 2009, 12:46:42 PM
Yea I didnt go to capital but I am from the area and I have to sources independent from one another that have told me that he resigned soon after the season was over
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 22, 2009, 05:51:53 PM
congrats to the ABCA All-Americans!!

First Team
Cameron Cimino (Marietta)

Third Team
Gar Keen (Heidelberg)
Brian Hiscox (Otterbein)

ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team
Greg Ferrell (Mount Union)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 22, 2009, 07:29:10 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 22, 2009, 05:51:53 PM
congrats to the ABCA All-Americans!!

First Team
Cameron Cimino (Marietta)

Third Team
Gar Keen (Heidelberg)
Brian Hiscox (Otterbein)

ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team
Greg Ferrell (Mount Union)

Further congratulations go to Andy Lowe - Heidelberg, who also made ABCA Third  Team All American according to the Heidelberg web site.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 22, 2009, 08:58:33 PM
^^^^ he wasn't listed on the press release or website...that's why I didn't list him above.

http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/NCAAChampionship/2009/BaseHits/2009AllAmericans.html

If it was a mistake by the ABCA committee or World Series press committee, then congrats!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 25, 2009, 09:36:09 PM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on May 21, 2009, 10:43:22 AM
Anyone know who the leading candidate is for the Capital job?

I feel like the Cap job would be a double edged sword.  You would have the advantage of being a good school in a great location.  Recruiting kids to a good school in suburban Columbus should be easy.  But their field is gawd awful (it's not even in Bexley and anyone familiar with where it is knows what I mean).  And you're starting out in a hole because you're competing for kids w/ other established programs in central OH in Ott, OWU, Denison and ODU.  At the end of the day I still think it's a good job, especially for an up and coming young coach.  If they can get a young guy in there to build momentum and sell the program I think they can be very dangerous.  And based on the past it looks like the school would be patient enough to let someone try to build a program.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 31, 2009, 12:38:58 PM
Speaking of coaching...

MUC assistant Joe Gilhousen applied for the head coaching job at Massillon HS.  Only 4 others applied and none have anything close to his resume as an OH HS Hall of Famer w/ 2 state titles.  His departure would be a HUGE blow to MUC, but at this point it would seem to be almost a certainty.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on May 31, 2009, 10:40:14 PM
wow. that would be a huge blow for mount. he is the only semblance of a coach they have and his hitting instruction has carried the team the past handful of years. We might be entering into some real dark years for the purple raiders, but hey, atleast there is football
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on May 31, 2009, 11:41:18 PM
Wow wow wow When does Massilion make their decision on that one?

Some other inside information... Larry Groves contract was not renewed after the season either
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 01, 2009, 03:25:00 AM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on May 31, 2009, 11:41:18 PM
Wow wow wow When does Massilion make their decision on that one?

Some other inside information... Larry Groves contract was not renewed after the season either

According to the article in the Inde the AD wants to move fairly quickly so the new HC can be in place for summer ball to watch his kids play.  There were only 5 applications and the paper said they could start interviews as early as Tuesday.  The problem was that there are no open jobs at Massillon, so they didn't get a ton of interest. 

Interesting side note:  One of the other applicants is former MUC pitcher Kevin Baker who's been an assistant at Wooster HS for a number of years.  I played with him at MUC.  He always had arm troubles that limited his playing time, but he definitely is a "baseball guy".  He knew the game as well as anyone I played with (probably better than anyone actually) and I was happy when I heard he was coaching at Wooster because I knew he would be a good coach. 

As for Grove...that could be good or bad.  Either they hire another pitching coach or....well, they don't.  And that's BAD. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on June 01, 2009, 03:28:31 PM
there was talk that grove was going to retire before this year too. came back this year but he always seemed to be a pitching coach by name only. it will be real interesting to see where the program goes from here. It might just be hesse and a lot of student assistants. oh boy could that be fun.

I was talking to a former mt union player that said he might put in for the capital job. i could easily see him return to 23rd street field in a different shade of purple and sweep his former coach.

Isnt it interesting how a lot of former players look to other schools to continue coaching insead of staying on with the raiders . . .
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on June 01, 2009, 03:42:05 PM
That coach wouldn't be Rick Oyster would it?

Acula, did Spike Ridgely put his name in the hat for the Massilion job as well?  I know his dad is the AD there and that was a huge rumor floating around before I left Alliance for the year
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 01, 2009, 03:55:40 PM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on June 01, 2009, 03:42:05 PM
That coach wouldn't be Rick Oyster would it?

Acula, did Spike Ridgely put his name in the hat for the Massilion job as well?  I know his dad is the AD there and that was a huge rumor floating around before I left Alliance for the year

I played w/ Oyster as well, but I don't know what he's up to.  Last I heard he was living in Hilliard, so who knows.  I'm curious to see who applies for the Cap job.  Any chance you would tell us who the former player is, inthecrease?  Maybe PM us if you don't want to throw it out here, but I think us other Raiders would be interested.

Spike didn't apply.  The 5 were Gilhousen, former MUC guy Kevin Baker, Andy Hargrove (Mike Hargrove's kid), one of the assistants at Massillon (not the guy that was the interim HC) and an asst from a school I had never heard of.  I'll post the link in a second...

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 01, 2009, 04:02:23 PM
Here's the link for the article.  I was surprised Spike didn't take a shot at it too.  That would have been great...one assistant is gone and the other two are fighting over the same HS job! 

Massillon Independent (http://www.indeonline.com/sports/x313658773/Five-in-for-Tiger-baseball-vacancy)

p.s. Sorry if the thread has been hijacked by this stuff, but let's be serious...there isn't much else to talk about.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 01, 2009, 04:19:49 PM
Dan Remenowsky (Ott) is with the White Sox Class A team in Kannapolis and looks like he's doing well.  He's made 18 relief appearances, 3-2 w/ 7 saves and a 2.33 ERA and a very impressive 36 K's in 19.1 innings. 

Stats (http://kannapolis.intimidators.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=487&stn=true&sid=t487)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 02, 2009, 12:25:37 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on June 01, 2009, 03:28:31 PM
I was talking to a former mt union player that said he might put in for the capital job. i could easily see him return to 23rd street field in a different shade of purple and sweep his former coach.

I've seen nothing yet out of Cap to indicate Weyrich resigned/ was fired.  Don't know as many folks as I used to around there, especially with the baseball program, but I would think it would get reported somewhere?? ???

Is this good info you have?

I know Weyrich is an ordained minister and had (HAS?) a construction company that he owns.  His wife is a professor at Columbus State CC, and he has two girls who are starting to enter that age where they have lots of "activities" that you get in trouble if you miss.  So, he has lots of other stuff going on, but he's a Capital grad and when he was hired a few years ago, he said it was his "dream job, coming back to my hometown and alma mater."  I can't imagine that he would leave unless 1) he was forced out (unlikely- given the new administration), or 2) the rumor of Capital "de-emphasizing" athletics is true and he was frustrated by it (and the lack of admin support he would receive over the next few years)... this was ALLEGEDLY the "unspoken" reason Jim Collins went looking to move on from the football program 2 years ago.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 02, 2009, 01:11:05 AM
Quote from: JK on June 02, 2009, 12:25:37 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on June 01, 2009, 03:28:31 PM
I was talking to a former mt union player that said he might put in for the capital job. i could easily see him return to 23rd street field in a different shade of purple and sweep his former coach.

I've seen nothing yet out of Cap to indicate Weyrich resigned/ was fired.  Don't know as many folks as I used to around there, especially with the baseball program, but I would think it would get reported somewhere?? ???

Is this good info you have?

I know Weyrich is an ordained minister and had (HAS?) a construction company that he owns.  His wife is a professor at Columbus State CC, and he has two girls who are starting to enter that age where they have lots of "activities" that you get in trouble if you miss.  So, he has lots of other stuff going on, but he's a Capital grad and when he was hired a few years ago, he said it was his "dream job, coming back to my hometown and alma mater."  I can't imagine that he would leave unless 1) he was forced out (unlikely- given the new administration), or 2) the rumor of Capital "de-emphasizing" athletics is true and he was frustrated by it (and the lack of admin support he would receive over the next few years)... this was ALLEGEDLY the "unspoken" reason Jim Collins went looking to move on from the football program 2 years ago.

It's funny you ask JK because I tried to find anything substantive about Weyrich leaving and was unable to do so.  If he did indeed leave I would have to think it was his choice.  Cap seems to be patient and we're not far removed from him taking them to their first OAC tourney final ever and winning COY.

Also, this is the first I've heard of the rumored possible de-emphasizing of athletics.  Would that simply entail shifting some funds previously earmarked for sports toward academic pursuits?  Or is it more of a "cultural thing" than a fiscal thing?  I guess I've just never seen anyone do anything like that in the OAC so I'm curious what it would mean.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on June 02, 2009, 10:03:22 AM
I think cap has started to de-emphasize the athletics program because that is the one thing that is holding him up about applying. He thinks the position isn't a full time job anymore.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on June 02, 2009, 10:12:52 AM
I have two independent sources in Central Ohio that have told me the Capital job is open
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 02, 2009, 11:34:24 AM
I have no idea what it means.  It's not something that they "advertise."  It's just whispers in the wind right now, heresay and innuendo backed up by people who believe it with examples that they think fit.

You know I played FB at Cap for former AD Roger Welsh and in my fifth year I was a student assistant coach for Jim Collins in his first year there.  So I have some people I talk to.  No one has ever used the phrase "de-emphasize athletics" except for hscoach on the football board immediately after Collins left.  But I had heard things floating around Capital circles in that time frame along the same lines.

It all happened when President Ted Fredrickson retired in 2006.  Ted was president from 2001-2006.  He oversaw a lot of the growth of Capital, athletic facilites and budgets in particular.  He and his wife were regulars at almost every Cap sporting event.  In late May of 06, the faculty threatened him with a no confidence vote because of a 5.3 million operating budget deficit that he pledged the year before to reduce to below $2 million.  He retired shortly thereafter, presumably because of the situation, though no one ever said as much.  There were rumors at the time that a lot of the faculty were upset about the amount of money going to the sports programs, especially those in the Conservatory of Music.  After Ted's retirement, Dr. Denvy Bowman was named interim president and then the 15th president of Capital in 2007.

Shortly after Bowman became president, it was announced, in no particular order, that SID Len Reich was leaving (for MUC), that Roger Welsh was retiring as AD, and that Jim Collins was named the HC at Saginaw Valley (MI) State (a D2 school).  There were also some other changes made throughout the Athletic Department and around the same time each varsity sport had an alumni led "association" created for it to pander for donations to "support travel and other expenses incurred by the team."

Taken seperately and at face value, there seems nothing dramatic here.  MUC, desipte Alliance being a smaller market than Columbus, is a step up for an SID given the football program's national exposure and the fact that the Alliance paper is dedicated to MUC rather than having to compete fro space with The Ohio State University.  Roger had been at Cap for nearly 30 years, and his grandkids were starting activities he wanted to be a part of.  Jim had about as much success as you can have in football in the OAC, given the fact that Mount wins the league title every year.  He was still only in his 40's but had been at Cap for 10 years and aspired to bigger things and needed to make the jump before his kids got to Jr. High (his oldest started last year).

None of it was really surprising, but then a friend told me that Jim didn't really want to leave until after his kids graduated HS but "the new president essentially forced his hand when Jim told him about SVSU."  Supposedly Roger retired thinking that Dixie Jeffers (the women's BB coach) would be named the new AD, but was informed after he submitted his retirement that would not be the case because the new president wanted "to go in a new direction."  Never heard any ulterior motive for Len leaving, but lumped in at the same time as the others, it seems suspicious as well.

hscoach, being a Mount FB broadcaster, has access to the SID's and information has a way of flowing around the pressbox.  Don't know where he heard the term "de-emphasize," but right after Jim left we had a discussion about it on the FB board.

So, never anything official, though every department, including athletics, took a cut when Bowman took over.  DOn't know if the athletic budget cut was proportional or not.  Just, I think, more of a change in mind-set.  Bowman isn't a regular at games, events aren't publicized like before (though that could be attributale to the fact that Len was/ is a GREAT SID- you are seeing that at MUC), and there isn't a lot of support (lots of empty seats as Capital hosted, for the first time ever, a first round men's BB game this year).

So if Greg is leaving, it might be attributable to the general malaise toward sports that is emanating from the president's office at Capital.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 02, 2009, 11:49:19 AM
Wow, GREAT post JK.  +k

I agree with you.  Taken individually each of those departures could be explained away, but in the context of the larger picture it keeps getting harder to call it coincidence.  Plus, as you said earlier, Weyrich is an alum and this was his dream job.  I guess the more we talk about it on here the more I'm concerned that Cap's program may suffer. 

There was an article not long ago about Dr. Bowman in one of the business publications down here praising him for his fiscal sense.  To a normal person I'm sure it was kind of boring, but as someone who follows the OAC I thought it was very interesting because of some of the undertones to what he was saying.  If I recall, there was a very "my way or the highway" vibe.  I'm going to try to find the article and I'll post the link if I do.  I think you would be interested in it if you haven't read it already.  The thing I was most surprised by was Capital operating at a deficit of that magnitude.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 02, 2009, 11:58:52 AM
Here's an article from Business First about Cap's new President.  The article I was thinking of was in Columbus CEO within the last 6 months, but I can't seem to find it.  I just remember reading it during a conference call to stay awake.

Cap Article (http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/01/08/story5.html)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 03, 2009, 10:53:31 PM
Interesting read.  If you find the other, PM me or something.

I am not a Bowman fan, for the record.  You are right on the "my way" vibe.  I get it too from everything I read that he's written and other stuff I hear.  He definitely has an "air" about him.  I don't know if it is fair of me, since I don't really know him.  It just seems that way to me.

I just get upset when a new president with no athletic background comes in and immediately looks at the athletic department as a way to cut costs becuase they don't think sports are that important or "are consistent with the academic nature of the university" (or other code phrases they use to say the same thing).  I think sports are an INTEGRAL part of the college experience. 

And, the lessons you learn in sports are hard to teach elsewhere.  You just develop an innate sense of how your actions impact others, how you fit into a bigger picture.  There are also the physical things you learn, like a greater sense of what your body is trying to tell you, hand-eye coordination, etc.  And then there is the competitive nature that you develop.  You and I and everyone who played sports can tell in an instant almost who has a background playing sports and who doesn't.  It doesn't even have to be a varsity sport in college or even high school.  It can be church league softball or weekend golf or bowling league...whatever.

Trust me.  Once you see kids trying to accomplish something physical you can tell almost immediately.  In my 10 years as an Army Officer I commanded a Basic Training Unit and was an ROTC instructor.  SO I trained both brand new Enlisted Soldiers and brand new Officers.  I knew those who had some athletic background and those who were in the band or art club or whatever. 

I hate to say it that way because there is NOTHING wrong with that.  I appreciate a good art exhibit and have seen my fair share of Broadway musicals, etc.  I respect the hell out of people who can sing and draw because I can't. 

In recruiting for ROTC we wanted what we called SAL's- Scholar, Athlete, Leader.  Active in sports/ other athletic pursuits, good grades/ test scores, and active in the community and other organizations.  Well rounded kids.  That's the goal, and you could tell those who lack the Athletic part.  A lot of them struggle with Physical FItness and teamwork and in a lot of cases, confidence in front of others.  Sometimes they overcompensate in other ways.  Like the "I'm smarter than you" vibe I get from Dr. Bowman.  I dunno... random ramblings late in the evening.

I really do fear that Bowman is going to damage the Athletic department.  No offense to our NCAC friends, but my worst fear is that Bowman pushes us into that realm... and don't get too defensive, NCAC guys... you know what I mean, Oberlins of the world.

I think OAC schools, especially MUC and ONU should be looked at as models for D3 schools rather than outliers.  Both have integrated powerhouse athletic programs seamlessly into their school's mission and experience.  MUC with football and ONU overall (look at the all-sports standings the last few years).  The OAC as a whole, those institutions seem to think of sports and academics as virtual equals, whereas some of the NCAC and UAA schools have the sports lag far behind.  Cap could easily slip into that realm, and it scares the crap out of me.  There are a lot of benefits to a good sports program... recruiting, increased visibility, $$$.  MUC has seen it, but for many years, a lot of Cap faculty and administrators have fought it.

We'll see how it goes.  I might just be completely nuts...who knows.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 04, 2009, 12:47:26 AM
Obviously most of us on here are biased when it comes to the value to sports as part of the college experience, but I think there's basis for that feeling. 

If someone is playing a sport at a D3 school they're most likely taking a fairly rigorous academic course load while doing so.  I know at MUC we had study table, but compared to what I've seen at OSU it's not even close to the same level of structure or support (not surprising).  My point is that D3 athletes learn to be good time managers and multi-taskers and they do so largely on their own.  You're responsible for yourself.  Guess what?  That's what being an adult is all about so it's a good thing to figure out before you're in the real world.

JK you did a much better job talking about the lessons and physical benefits of sports than I could, but I want to go off on a tangent kind of.  When you're on a team you share common goals, common experiences, etc.  But more importantly, you physically spend A LOT of time together.  That's my favorite thing about playing sports at MUC.  I've made friends that I will have my entire life.  Sure you would have plenty of friends without sports, but there's something about spending hours together daily in that environment that bonds you whether you want it to or not.  To this day I'll run into former teammates and even if we're not friends we'll stop, chat and inevitably laugh.  "Did you hear about so and so?" 

Not long ago a kid I played ball with passed away.  My buddy and I attended the service.  Not surprisingly we walked in and saw probably a dozen guys from the team.  Some that hadn't talked to the kid since graduation.  One kid flew from Chicago to be there.  And none of this surprised me even though we graduated 7 years ago.  When it comes to the guys you played sports with it's like time stopped.  You knew them so well at one point that it will take years for that familiar feeling to fade away.  We haven't reached that point yet and honestly I hope we don't for some time.  But I just don't know if there's a way to replicate that connection outside of the context of a sports team. 

I guess my point, albeit longwinded, is that I wouldn't trade the friends I've made for all the wins in the world.  To me that's the most underappreciated aspect of the college sports experience.  I hope Capital, or any institution, keeps that in mind.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 04, 2009, 01:33:33 AM
Agreed.  To illustrate for you:

Recently in airports I ran into two former teammates of mine.  One from High School (Jeff Waggoner- now the head baseball coach at Marshall) in Houston- he was a year younger than me and we played football and baseball together, baseball even in little league; and one from College (Keith Boucher- last Capital All-American from the Welsh era) in St. Louis- he was a Sr. when I was a Fr. Hadn't seen either of them in 10-15 years. 

Talked for as long as I could to both like we never missed a day.  Didn't even hesitate.  Recognized each other instantly (not surprising with Jeff, pretty surprised Keith remembered me though given that we only played together for a year) even with the years that had passed, did the one handed bro-hug/ back slap thing, talked about old teammates.

Amazing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on June 04, 2009, 08:37:08 AM
Quote from: Gramps on May 22, 2009, 07:29:10 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 22, 2009, 05:51:53 PM
congrats to the ABCA All-Americans!!

First Team
Cameron Cimino (Marietta)

Third Team
Gar Keen (Heidelberg)
Brian Hiscox (Otterbein)

ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team
Greg Ferrell (Mount Union)

Further congratulations go to Andy Lowe - Heidelberg, who also made ABCA Third  Team All American according to the Heidelberg web site.

My apologies to Andy Lowe for not mentioning him in my original lsit....after doing some research, I found that he was a late add-on to the ABCA 3rd team All-American list after Farmingdale State pitcher Heeman was suspended from the World Series and removed from the list.

Lowe deserved the honor regardless, he was such an outstanding pitcher this year for the Berg and for the OAC!!!  Congrats Andy  :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 04, 2009, 11:57:35 PM
OHSAA Baseball Championships this weekend at Huntington Bank Field (the new Clipper's Stadium downtown- behind the arena).

DI- Semi's friday- Iggy and Moeller play first and then Green and Pickerington North.  Final Saturday at 7pm
DII- Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin and Walsh Jesuit play Saturday at 1pm
DIII- Gnadenhutten Indian Valley and Hamilton Badin play Saturday at 10am
DIV- Semis friday- New Middletown Springfield and Newark Catholic play and then Hamler Patrick Henry and Reading.  FInal Saturday at 4pm.

Here is a link to the bracket:
http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/bb/boys/2009/stbrkt.pdf
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 05, 2009, 06:44:05 PM
The OHSAA finals are 7/8ths set.  Last game of the semis starts in about 20 minutes between Green and Pickerington North in Division I.

In addition to the two finals set yesterday, the DIV final will be between Hamler Patrick Henry and New Middletown Springfield

Moeller puched their ticket to the DI final earlier and awaits the winner of the Green-Pick North game above.

If there is anybody out there...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 05, 2009, 09:37:11 PM
I wish I could go to the baseball championships, but I always work track and it's always the same weekend.  If anyone has a chance to go you should go just to enjoy the ballpark.  Very nice venue. 

I did get to see a kid from Gahanna break Brandon Saine's record in the 100 today though.  Kid scorched the track up with a 10.47 in the semis.  It was actually the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium record too which is cool for that kid.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 07, 2009, 11:31:00 PM
Moeller played Pick North for the DI title and won
Notre Dane-Cathedral Latin won D2
Gnadehutten Indian Valley won D3 (beat my wife's alma mater- Hamilton Badin- on a throuwing error in the bottom of the 8th inning.  Badin back to back runners up- both tough luck losses)
Hamler Patrick Henry won D4.

And the HS baseball season is over in Ohio...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 09, 2009, 10:28:37 AM
To no one's surprise MUC asst. Joe Gilhousen was 1 of the 3 candidates interviewed for the HC position at Massillon HS.  According to the article the school hopes to make a decision in the next couple days, but it won't be voted on until the BOE meeting on 6/24.  If Vegas was taking bets on this Gilhousen would nearly be off the board.  His resume is light years better than the other 2 candidates combined. 

Inde Article (http://www.indeonline.com/sports/x1176008500/Three-left-for-Tiger-baseball-vacancy)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on June 09, 2009, 10:33:41 PM
I have heard from former teammates that he in fact was offered and took the job at Massilion HS today
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 09, 2009, 11:06:24 PM
No surprise there.  Great hire for Massillon.  Not good news for MUC though.  This adds a new level of intrigue to see how next season goes.  I've heard that Spike Ridgely is a solid young asst, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that at least one other quality asst. is brought into the fold.  Unfortunately, I'm not getting my hopes up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on June 10, 2009, 12:39:59 PM
To be 100% honest I have no idea where this program will go now.  Joe did so much for this program beyond anyones realization and I dont think Hesse can pick up all the responsibilities that Joe left behind.  Spike is a quality assistant with high energy but he cant do it alone.  I am not suggesting he be fired but I feel like this would be an opportune time to clean house completely.  2 of 3 assistants leave, the economy warrants that a younger coach would make less and save the college money, and the program hasnt really gone anywhere the past decade with him there.  I'm not saying, I'm just saying...

But for reason that only MUC people will understand the common sense thing to is the last thing ever to happen in Alliance
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on June 10, 2009, 10:46:27 PM
common sense is like big foot at mount union. often talked about but never really seen. I know there were talks a few years back about Gilhausen taking over for Hesse, but that never happened. Mount Union's athletics program has turned into the old boys club. There are a good handful of guys there for the past 10+ years with only a fraction of them actually showing true success. I think everything is going to stay the same and they will be spinning their wheels for at least the next five years, or whenever Coach Kheres decides to hang up the whistle. If they bring a new AD in at that point, there could be a new baseball coach before the AD even gets his name on the door.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 11, 2009, 12:32:35 AM
I think for the most part MUC is in decent shape in men's sports (football excluded obviously).  Here's my breakdown of the guys I know of:

Hesse:  I think there seems to be a general sense of agreement amongst the MUC posters on this, but I think pushing a decade and a half of mediocrity speaks for itself.  Each year the best case scenario is finishing 3rd or 4th in the regular season and, at best, winning a couple games in the OAC tourney.  But he's been at MUC forever and I don't think any of us see a change coming.  Why would we?  Past performance tells us not to.

Hood:  I touched on this during the basketball season on that board, but he's basically the same situation for hoops that Hesse is for baseball.  The only difference is that he did have one deep NCAA tournament run on the backs of Shipp and N. Richards, but that was almost 15 years ago.  Take a look at his winning % vs. Hesse's.  Eerily similar.

Homon:  The longest tenured coach at MUC and the man responsible for more hardware in the Timken trophy cases than anyone (LK included).  He's won 50+ OAC titles...aided by the fact that he has 3 chances a year (CC/indoor/outdoor), but the bottom line is the guy AVERAGES winning almost 2 OAC titles per year. 

Woj:  Quietly has done a nice job w/ tennis.  They're competitive every year.  They're basically almost a lock to make the semis of the OAC tourney every year.  I have no problem w/ Woj.  I think he does a good job.

MacDuffie:  Young guy has done a great job w/ golf.  They're consistently finishing in the top 3 of the OAC now and he seems to be getting better and better players.  They even made the NCAA tourney which is a bonus in my mind. 

Hawald:  Another young guy who I don't know much about.  What I do know is that the Raider wrestling program fell on some tough times and he seems to have them heading in the right direction (6-4, 4-2 last yr).

??:  I don't even know who the soccer coach is now.  That seems to be the grenade job at MUC.  Someone pulls the pin, leaves and the next guy comes in and...well, let's just say the program is struggling. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on June 11, 2009, 11:57:25 AM
nice breakdown. for the most part i was thinking of hood and hesse, because homon, lk, and woj have been there for ages, have won, and dont plan on going anywhere else. what does it say for the programs of mediocrity where they dont even cut. They just keep everyone involved and wait for them to quit year by year. A freshman baseball class of 20 turns into a senior class of 7 very quickly. Same with basketball in a group of 8 freshman, only 1 or 2 seniors come out of it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 11, 2009, 01:41:22 PM
I know what you mean about cuts.  We had a dress list for JV games because there were too many freshmen.  Can you imagine what the baseball roster would look like if there WERE cuts?  At least this way the right guys might get on the field by accident.  It's been years and several asst coaches since I was there, but half of our starters weren't even really recruited.  A couple were there to play football and also played baseball.  Our top 2 starting pitchers weren't recruited.  Nor was our best position player.  The only reason I was recruited was because I played summer league w/ an asst's son.  He asked me where I was going, I said JCU and he basically convinced me to go to MUC over the summer.  If not for that I would have ended up at JCU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 12, 2009, 11:56:58 AM
Massillon finally went public w/ their choice of Gilhousen.  Just waiting on the red tape of BOE approval now.

Inde article (http://www.indeonline.com/sports/x2085759167/Gilhousen-the-choice-for-Tiger-baseball-job)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 14, 2009, 04:47:12 PM
Just noticed that Weyrich's bio has been taken off the "coaching staff" section of the baseball page on capital.edu.

Guess that means it's official that he isn't coming back next year...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 15, 2009, 10:38:40 AM
Nice catch JK.  I didn't see anything posted on their site or elsewhere as of yet as far as the opening goes.

I've said in the past that I thought the Cap job was a good one, especially for a young up and coming coach.  But based on some the discussions on here about the overall direction of the athletic department as a whole at the university I'm not sure what to think these days.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 17, 2009, 11:46:25 PM
Capital's Head Coaching position is officially posted on ncaa.org now.  And yes, it is advertised as a part-time position.  Does anyone know how Cap did it in the past? 

Job Posting (http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobdetail.cfm?job=3137946)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 18, 2009, 10:35:30 AM
Thinking back, I think it has always been a part time position.  The HC when I was there, Jeff Bricker, had another job.  I know some guys actually worked for him in the summers.  Weyrich had another job...ran his own construction company.

That's a lot of hours to put in for a part time gig with recruiting, practice, fall ball, spring trip, regular season, weight training and conditioning, etc..
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 18, 2009, 11:57:35 AM
Without question, a lot of time for part time.  It would be extremely hard to have another job just because of when you would have to be on campus.  Plus all the time recruiting and keeping up w/ your guys grades, etc.  During the spring it would be next to impossible.  You essentially couldn't work another job on game days.  You almost have to have someone like Weyrich that worked for himself.  I know at MUC Hesse taught a couple classes and also had an admin role (Asst. AD or something) so he was in essence full time at MUC.  Obviously Palm is the AD at Berg.  Not sure about the others (although I'm sure the job is full time at Etta...they don't mess around).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on June 19, 2009, 04:31:00 PM
Brewer is assistant AD and teaches some classes at Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 19, 2009, 04:59:35 PM
^^^  Makes sense. 

Fisher (BW) is the head of the Health/PE Dept, so he's a professor.  Thompson (Musky) teaches some classes. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 27, 2009, 04:35:53 PM
Denison is looking for a new HC.  This isn't good news for Cap as that program is in better shape than Cap's and it's also a full time position.  Hopefully it will not affect Cap's ability to bring in a quality guy. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on June 28, 2009, 11:05:29 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on June 27, 2009, 04:35:53 PM
Denison is looking for a new HC.  This isn't good news for Cap as that program is in better shape than Cap's and it's also a full time position.  Hopefully it will not effect Cap's ability to bring in a quality guy. 

Wow

Denison had two players from my son's high school on the team. They were twins one is a pitcher the other a 2nd baseman. I believe the kid that played 2nd made an all-league team this year as a freshman. Hope it doesn't effect them.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 29, 2009, 01:40:29 AM
Bump, I hope it doesn't affect the kids at Denison either, but it doesn't sound great in Granville based on what DenisonFan posted on the NCAC thread.  Sounds like things are a little messy.  It's a shame.


From the "take it w/ a grain of salt" dept:

I was perusing another message board and a poster said that the Cap job had been narrowed to 3 candidates, but no concrete word on if/when interviews or decision will happen.  Take that for what you will based on the "source".  Hey, it's almost July...I'm grasping at straws at this point.   ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 10, 2009, 10:41:47 AM
I saw Greg Ferrell (MUC) was named Player of the Week in the Great Lakes League after hitting .571 last week.  Here are how some OAC guys are doing in the league thus far.  These are the guys that seem to be playing a good amount.

Lowe (Berg):   7 app, 10 IP, 0-1, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 9K, .030 Opp BA

Koehl (Berg):   2 starts, 13 IP, 2-0, 1.38 ERA, 5th in league in ERA

D. Jones (Etta):   10 games/8 starts, .241 BA

Hiscox (Ott):   12 games/9 starts, .185 BA

Ferrell (MUC):   19 games/18 starts, .359 BA, 9 2B, 8/9 SB, 9th in league in BA

LaCorte (Ott):   6 app/3 starts, 19 IP, 3-2, 5.21 ERA, 16 K
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Buckley on July 14, 2009, 08:03:40 PM
Does anyone know when Capital intends to make a decision by? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 15, 2009, 12:39:59 PM
Quote from: Buckley on July 14, 2009, 08:03:40 PM
Does anyone know when Capital intends to make a decision by? 

I would hope in the next 2 weeks.  I've heard that they have it down to 2 candidates.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 15, 2009, 02:23:25 PM
Dr. Ac

Did you catch the news on the football board about Cap's OC, Manny Matsakis, leaving?

As per our discussion following the Weyrich departure, add Manny to the list of "suspicious" departures.  Manny was another Capital grad, hired last year, who left with little or no warning.  Can't say I am too sorry to see him go after the debacle in the last half of last season, but it still adds to the list of Welsh, Collins, Reich, and Weyrich.

At least Damon and Dixie are still there.  But, at this rate, maybe we should be asking ourselves "for how much longer?"
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 15, 2009, 03:09:38 PM
I did see that JK.  It seemed like most of the guys on the football board were viewing it almost as an addition by subtraction thing for Cap and you regulars know much better than me.  Is it normal to be looking for an OC in mid-July though?  I feel like your options would be limited at this point.

In the grand scheme of things I see what you're saying.  I guess the way I look at it as an outsider is that I simply ask "Are the athletic programs in a better place now than they were?"  I don't know that we can say that for anything other than the aforementioned hoops teams (Goodwin/Jeffers).  I think this year is going to be a huge year for football because w/ a healthy Marty Assman they really need to get back on track and prove that it was just injuries and/or Matsakis (and not a larger problem i.e. the departure of Collins) that led to the hiccup.   

Also, I was a little surprised Cap didn't do something like make Jeffers the AD and Goodwin the Asst. AD in order to kind of lock them up so to speak.  Obviously schools like MUC w/ Kehres and Berg w/ Palm have employed this tactic because it's not easy to find quality coaches that want to stay long-term.       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Buckley on July 15, 2009, 08:26:37 PM
just saw on Capital's website, they hired Ryan Grice from LaGrange in Georgia.   Good guy - I wish him the best of luck
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 15, 2009, 10:36:19 PM
Here's the link:  Grice to Cap (http://www.capital.edu/25885/)

He's an Ohio guy (alum of West Holmes HS and Walsh Univ.), but it looks like no HC experience at the college level outside of summer league.  I said a while ago that I thought they should give a young guy a shot to build it.  Here's the chance.  I wish him well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 15, 2009, 11:18:56 PM
Roger Welsh was my football coach when I was at Cap.  When I was living in Kentucky, I made it back up to Cap for a few games and had the opportunity to talk with Roger on a couple of occasions.  In his last year as AD, one of our conversations centered on what direction Cap would go when he retired as AD.  Though he never said it, I got the impression that the groundwork had been laid for Dixie Jeffers, who has been the associate AD in addition to head women's coach and living legend for as long as I can remember, to succeed him as AD, with the potential for Damon Goodwin (mens hoops HC) or the head football coach to take over as associate AD.  This would have also had the added bonus of freeing up a spot to make the head baseball coach a full-time position.

So, it came as quite a shock to me when Roger did retire and they hired Dawn Mamula (now Stewart) from outside as AD.  I thought it quite the slap in the face to Dixie in particular and to Roger's wishes after so many years of loyal service to Cap.  I certainly don't know if Dixie even wanted the job (or if anyone else inside- like Damon- did either), but it just seemed a strange route to take after a couple of years of great success in the sports programs in general (in a 3 year stretch at the end of Roger's tenure the FB, VB, MBB, WBB, baseball, M Soccer, and W Soccer all made the post season).  You would think that iff someone already there would have wanted the job, it would have been a nice way to reward them and "lock them up" as you put it.

I don't know what is going on.  I will always cheer for my alma mater, but I am starting to have some serious questions as to the direction of the administration in regards to athletics.  Certainly Dr. Bowman has his own agenda, all presidents do, but I don't think it has to be at the expense of what was quickly becoming a top-notch sports program in gerneral.

As for Matsakis, I am not sad to see him go.  The offense lacked balance and imagination last year.  I expected some of it, since Jim Collins was a top-notch offensive mind, but expected to see Manny get more comfortable as the year went on.  He never seemed to settle in as an OC.  Marty Assman getting hurt had a bit to do with it, but the fact that when he lost Marty the offense went in the tank is inexcusable.  He had no developed back-up and couldn't adjust like Collins had done the year before when Marty went down and Cap still made the playoffs.  It was sad to watch the offense roll over at the end of last season.  The D played pretty well and the offense had nothing, hence losing 5 of the last 6.

It is pretty late in the game to bring someone in, I would think.  Spring ball is over, so the time to learn a new offense is not in August.  I would think they would HAVE to hire someone from within or someone formerly on the staff (maybe bring back Mike Ancona???).  We'll see.

As for the rest, to be continued I guess...

I am pretty excited about new blood for the baseball team though.  Hope springs eternal with every new coach.  We'll see if this young man can have some success.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 16, 2009, 10:00:46 AM
After I posted I thought I remembered you posting in the past something to the effect that Welsh may have wanted to have Jeffers step into the AD role so thanks for confirming that.  The old memory isn't what it used to be.

I understand that Bowman may have his own agenda, but as the president one of, if not THE most important, item on his agenda has to be enrollment.  Well what's the easiest way to maximize enrollment?  I'm guessing it's by maximizing participation in athletics.  Look at MUC.  LK brings in 120 freshmen every year and how many of them are there because of football?  By no means am I degrading the academics at my alma mater, but let's face reality...those kids had a dozen options comparable to MUC academically.  The differentiating factor was sports.  Another thing you joked about on the football board that's true is buildings.  MUC is constantly upgrading campus.  I was on campus this week and the renovations to the Rec Center and athletic facilities are great.  And the new admissions center looks fantastic as well.  But beyond that, they do a first rate job w/ grounds maintenance and landscaping.  Campus no doubt helps w/ enrollment. 

But Cap has something few other OAC schools have...great location.  I've never walked the entire campus, but what I've seen is nice.  Bexley is one of the best suburbs in Ohio.  And the Cap Center/Bernlohr is outstanding.  I guess my point is, that stuff is already in place.  You already HAD quality FB, MBB, WBB coaches there to maximize those facilities by fielding highly competitive teams every year which should, in turn, maximize your enrollment from sports.  Why not embrace it?  Bowman seems like a bottom line guy and I would have thought that the idea of using the athletics arm to maximize tuition $ would have been a no brainer, especially in light of their financial situation when he came in.  Any port in a storm, right?  That makes me wonder if he's a true bottom line guy w/ business acumen or whether he's an academic idealist (perhaps even elitist?) who talks a good game.  Only time will tell I suppose, but I just hope for the University's sake he doesn't underestimate the role athletics plays in the financial health of the school.  This isn't OSU.  These are D3 schools where you may have 40 or 50% of your male students playing sports.  It's important whether his ideals agree with it or not.         
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 16, 2009, 10:18:39 AM
Couldn't have said it better myself  ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 16, 2009, 06:34:02 PM
I can understand the reasoning behind putting more emphasis on academics and how that could be attractive to potential students. I have a harder time grasping the rational behind de-emphasizing anything in a time of operating deficits. In most cases you have to spend money to make money. Sports can be a large expense for a university but they also can provide revenue as well as intangible benefits for the student athlete and the university in total. Capitols approach is puzzling to me if what has been outlined in previous posts has any merit.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 16, 2009, 08:10:23 PM
I certainly agree, bump.  ALthough it has never been stated that Capital is "de-emphasizing" anything (I believe that was HS Coach's phrase on the football board last year sometime), some of the moves made in the School in general and the Athletic Department in particular have led me to question some things with my alma mater.  A whole lot of little things seem to be adding up to something bigger.  WHere there is smoke (numerous coaches, etc. leaving with little or no warning, fewer number of incoming recruits each year, president not attending home games, etc), there usually is a fire ("de-emphasis" on athletics).

Only time will tell us the whole story, I guess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Buckley on July 16, 2009, 10:37:49 PM
I don't get administrators.  most small schools are tuition driven - therefore, most coaches are glorified admission counselors.   to underestimate the role that athletics plays in the survival of a small college is just stubborness from an administrator that didn't play athletics.  There reasoning is to "emphasize" how important academics is.  Small colleges is a very competitive market place.   Most of the small schools in the oac and ncac have around 2400 undergrads.  approximately 450 of those are athletes, and i would be willing to bet that another 150 or so came in for athletics and have quit and stayed in school there.  that is 25% of your student body.   problem is, most administrators think coaches are dumb jocks and kids come there based solely on academics alone.    I think that administrators think that kids wake up one day and say that I want to go to Capital or Ohio Weslyan and oh yeah, i think they have a baseball program so i might participate.  this thinking completely underestimate the amount of work and recruiting that is needed to get a player to play at a small college. I don't understand it when administrators don't give the respect to athletics that it should deserve.   Food for thought:   35 man roster - $30,000 tuition each = $1,000,000 gross profit.    total team budget $35,000.   Entire Coaching staff salary $40,000.   - program receives less than 10% from the university.  still don't understand how you can't have a full time coach and a full time assistant at least at every small university. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 16, 2009, 11:46:42 PM
Agreed, Buckley.  At MUC there are usually 50 some kids on the baseball roster.  Do the math there.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on July 17, 2009, 12:36:27 AM
you can always just use the simple figure that muc has about 2000 students and around, if not over 200 of them play football. thats 10% of the school to one sport! a very nice chunk of money to the school
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 17, 2009, 07:34:20 AM
I believe there was a survey done at one of the OAC schools asking students what things were most important to them when choosing a school. The top three responses were the quality of housing, quality of recreational / athletic facilities and quality of food. Someone may what to rethink his strategy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 17, 2009, 09:58:11 AM
Not sure if anyone checked the front page of d3baseball.com, but there's a story on there about UW-Lax doing away w/ baseball and men's tennis due to financial woes.  Basically they have to raise money by 9/1/09 just to stave off the death sentence for a year.  50k for baseball, 40k for tennis. 

Here's an article from the newspaper:  WSJ (http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/sports/457996)

The program would then have to raise 350-375k by May 2010 to continue the program beyond next year.  The coach sounds realistic about it saying they would need a couple major donors to make that happen, but that if they could just raise the 50k now it would allow his kids a year to transfer and let his seniors who would be hard pressed to transfer for 1 year to finish out their careers.  Sad.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 17, 2009, 10:04:35 AM
Quote from: Bump on July 17, 2009, 07:34:20 AM
I believe there was a survey done at one of the OAC schools asking students what things were most important to them when choosing a school. The top three responses were the quality of housing, quality of recreational / athletic facilities and quality of food. Someone may what to rethink his strategy.

Good point, Bump.  I read an article not too long ago discussing how vital housing was to small colleges competing for enrollment.  The gist of it was that kids these days aren't used to sharing anything, especially bedrooms, so colleges are catering to that by building apartment style housing and converting old dorms that were doubles to singles.   

p.s. I can't even fathom this.  Not only did I have a roommate every year I lived in the dorm, but even when I lived in a house there were 6 of us in a 5 bedroom house.  Yours truly got to share the "master bedroom" with a roommate because we had last pick.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 26, 2009, 01:42:43 PM
Dr. A, how does Mounts recruiting class look this year?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 26, 2009, 06:54:05 PM
Good question Bump.  I'll do some digging and see what I can find out.  They aren't going to be filling many holes as the majority of the starters are back next year.  The biggest losses are Slaybaugh at 1B, McFarland at 3B and Griffith out of the pen.  Sevek is gone, but Von Duyke should slide into his spot in the OF and be fine.  I don't see how they can come close to the production they got at the corner IF spots, but how close they come will play a big role in how the offense goes.  Griffith didn't get a lot of love, but he was just an extremely solid guy out of the pen and you HAVE to have guys like him to win close games.  With Mariotti, Irwin and Sabatino I like the top 3 in the rotation, but you need a couple reliable guys out of the pen.  Wise will have to step up and be one of those guys next year.    

Honestly, I'm more concerned about the fact that as of now MUC has no asst. coaches.  Gilhousen took the Massillon job obviously, but Spike Ridgley went w/ him and Grove is not coming back as pitching coach either.  I figured Spike would follow Gilhousen since he's a Massillon kid (plus his dad is the AD, so he has extra close ties to the Tigers).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 26, 2009, 08:02:02 PM
I didn't know that Coach Ridgley went with Gilhousen to Massillon but it doesn't surprise me. It will be interesting to see how the Massillon baseball program progresses with Gilhousen and the AD's son at the helm. I am not aware of any Stark Co. players going to MU. It seems like Mount usually gets a player or two from Glenoak,  North Canton, Massillon or Lake every year. I wonder if there is any interest in Jeff Wallace as a pitching coach to replace Grove. He has some ties to Alliance and is a good baseball guy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 26, 2009, 10:02:06 PM
I think Massillon will be on the rise quickly.  Gilhousen's resume speaks for itself and I sincerely doubt that he would walk into that job without knowing that there would be nothing hindering his way of doing things.  With Gilhousen and Spike running things there will be no second guessing anymore.  At least I hope not!

I'll be interested to see if that pipeline from GlenOak dries up now.  Not saying MUC won't get any GO guys, but I don't think it will be w/ the same frequency.  I'm sure McClellan was quick to send his GO guys over to Alliance to play for his old coach.  

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 26, 2009, 10:05:53 PM
Stark County kids that I've seen in the paper:

To Malone:

Chack (Lake)
Strouble (Marlington)
Joe Monnot (GO)
Messer and Forchione (Perry)

To Walsh:

Dougherty (McK)
Cheyney (Jackson)
Piporo (Lake)
Stinson (Marlington)

To MUC:

McCarthy (Massillon)

   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM
Hello everyone,

First post here but I've followed the board for quite some time.  Anyways I am a former Mount Union player and I actually have some answers pertaining to the assistant coach search and some news for the next season.

One of my former teammates and close friends went and interviewed for an assistant coaching job with Coach Hesse this week and he came away with this from the interview.

- Ryan Armstrong, class of 1999 is one of the new assistants for the upcoming season
- My friend is in the final 3, along with 2 other unknown college assistants for the other assistant position and that decision should be made this Wednesday.  Although if you know Hesse he isn't very good at being on time with anything...
- Speaking of Hesse, he will take over pitching coach duties once again.
- Craig Knott has been dismissed from Mount for poor academics, looking to continue playing at a JUCO in Florida.
- Sadly Hesse told my friend that Paul Mariotti was hurt this summer and is going to the Indians team doctor.  Apparently it may cause him to sit out his senior year.  I remember his freshman year he was sidelined with shoulder bursitis
- Lastly someone asked about recruiting.  While Gilhousen was at the school he would rate recruits and prospective players on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best.  Coach Hesse told my friend that this year the majority of recruits are rated 4/5, this class being the strongest in recent years.  Who is apart of it I do not know, just that Hesse thinks very highly of them.

I'll keep you posted with the coaching update when I find out later this week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:53:47 AM
Quote from: Bump on July 26, 2009, 08:02:02 PM
I didn't know that Coach Ridgley went with Gilhousen to Massillon but it doesn't surprise me. It will be interesting to see how the Massillon baseball program progresses with Gilhousen and the AD's son at the helm. I am not aware of any Stark Co. players going to MU. It seems like Mount usually gets a player or two from Glenoak,  North Canton, Massillon or Lake every year. I wonder if there is any interest in Jeff Wallace as a pitching coach to replace Grove. He has some ties to Alliance and is a good baseball guy.

While I was at Mount I know Jeff Wallace wasn't the biggest fan of jumping through Coach Hesse's hoops.  We were able to use his facility because in return his summer team used our baseball field for home games and summer camps. 

In my two posts please don't think I have any negative feelings towards Mount Union baseball.  They were the best four years of my life but if you were apart of it you know the ineptness of our fearless leader...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 01:13:06 AM
Yes!  Another MUC poster to join fundamentalwin and me!  We're taking over the baseball board.  Anyway, welcome aboard 08.  +k

I'll post a longer response in a second...phone is ringing and at 1am that can't be good.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 01:34:27 AM
Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM- Ryan Armstrong, class of 1999 is one of the new assistants for the upcoming season
I played with Armstrong for a couple yrs.  He was a very good player and a nice guy.  I would think he would be a good asst, but I'm also basing this only on knowing him personally as I don't know of his past coaching experience.

Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM- My friend is in the final 3, along with 2 other unknown college assistants for the other assistant position and that decision should be made this Wednesday.  Although if you know Hesse he isn't very good at being on time with anything...
As they say, it's funny because it's true.

Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM- Speaking of Hesse, he will take over pitching coach duties once again.
As I've rehashed on here in the past, this was one of the worst things that happened while I was in Alliance.  I hope this is temporary because it's impossible for any one person to devote their time to being the pitching coach and head coach if they have any intention of being hands on as HC.  On a sidenote, somewhere out there fundamentalswins is solemnly shaking his head at this news.  I'm right there with you...

Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM- Craig Knott has been dismissed from Mount for poor academics, looking to continue playing at a JUCO in Florida.
Obviously a blow for the baseball team to lose their starting SS and a middle of the order guy, but I simply hope that Craig gets his grades straightened out.  Very few of us that play D3 baseball have hopes of playing beyond college so the degree is the ultimate goal.  I wish Craig well and hope he gets that degree no matter where he does so.

Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM- Sadly Hesse told my friend that Paul Mariotti was hurt this summer and is going to the Indians team doctor.  Apparently it may cause him to sit out his senior year.  I remember his freshman year he was sidelined with shoulder bursitis
Bad news.  BAD NEWS.  Mariotti was the unquestioned ace of the staff and one the top pitchers coming back in the OAC.  This would be a huge blow if he can't pitch.

Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM- Lastly someone asked about recruiting.  While Gilhousen was at the school he would rate recruits and prospective players on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best.  Coach Hesse told my friend that this year the majority of recruits are rated 4/5, this class being the strongest in recent years.  Who is apart of it I do not know, just that Hesse thinks very highly of them.
I'm glad you clarified that Gilhousen was rating the players because otherwise I think we both know how much stock we should put into the ranking system.  That being said, it sounds like they have a nice class to compliment a good returning nucleus.  Now the question becomes if they can sustain the positive momentum in recruiting they've seen in the past several years now that Gilhousen and his connections are out of the picture.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 01:48:27 AM
Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:53:47 AMIn my two posts please don't think I have any negative feelings towards Mount Union baseball.  They were the best four years of my life but if you were apart of it you know the ineptness of our fearless leader...

Trust me, you're not going to offend anyone on here let alone the other MUC posters.  It's a well documented inside joke that anyone that's ever played there is in on.  But as I've said before, I wouldn't trade the friends I've made and the stories I have for a few wins in college.  Sounds like you're in the same boat.  
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 28, 2009, 10:52:22 AM
Ahh... Jeff Wallace.  That name brings back memories.  We were in HS at the same time... he at Minerva and I at West Branch.  He hit me with a pitch in the back just below the shoulder blade that I swore was going to come out the other side.  Seriously knocked the wind out of me.  I got plunked many other times in my career in HS, but that is the only one I really remember.

Needless to say I went 0-3 the rest of the way that day.  That was a tough way to reach base for the only time in the game.

Why I decided to stick with football at Cap  ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 28, 2009, 06:45:04 PM
Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM- Craig Knott has been dismissed from Mount for poor academics, looking to continue playing at a JUCO in Florida.
Quote
Obviously a blow for the baseball team to lose their starting SS and a middle of the order guy, but I simply hope that Craig gets his grades straightened out.  Very few of us that play D3 baseball have hopes of playing beyond college so the degree is the ultimate goal.  I wish Craig well and hope he gets that degree no matter where he does so.

Mount did have a pretty good SS enroll. Hit about 450 with 36 RBI's last year 1st team all Fed last two years. Coach Ridgley tried to get him to visit MU last winter but he didn't have much interest in baseball at the next level at that time. I think Coach Wojo has other plans for him for this fall.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 07:14:23 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 28, 2009, 06:45:04 PMMount did have a pretty good SS enroll. Hit about 450 with 36 RBI's last year 1st team all Fed last two years. Coach Ridgley tried to get him to visit MU last winter but he didn't have much interest in baseball at the next level at that time. I think Coach Wojo has other plans for him for this fall.

Is that Jeff Meek?  Very nice player.  If so, I would recommend someone just point him to the recent track record of kids from his HS on the gridiron at MUC because it's not pretty.  The last kid I can think of contributing in any real way was Nate Chester in the mid-late 90's and that's pushing it because he was never a top option at WR.  So maybe he should play both?  Not to be a downer, but come on...we need a SS!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 28, 2009, 07:42:02 PM
Had a DE from NC start in 2007. Jeff isn't one to walk away from a challenge.  :)

Like someone mentioned school comes 1st. I don't think that there is enough time to make a commitment to both sports and do it right. But It isn't up to me.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 08:54:27 PM
Good call Bump.  Andrews was the last name of the DE.  Jon maybe?  Totally forgot about him.

I'm just happy Meek is going to MUC, so I was just being selfish for the baseball program I guess. 

p.s. I played baseball w/ a couple kids that weren't bad w/ the pads on either...Chuck Moore and Mike Miller.   Of course those guys weren't trying to play SS and had a head start on the rest of us just based on athletic ability.  ;D




Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 28, 2009, 08:57:32 PM
Doc do you get to watch much Fed League baseball? I am not sure if baseball is out of the question it will depend on how things go this fall and how the grades are come the spring.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 09:18:32 PM
Used to watch a lot of Fed baseball, but I moved to Columbus in 05 and haven't seen much since.

Like I said as it related to Knott, I just hope these kids excel in school and equally as important...have fun.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on July 28, 2009, 10:42:48 PM
Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM
One of my former teammates and close friends went and interviewed for an assistant coaching job with Coach Hesse this week and he came away with this from the interview.


Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 01:48:27 AM
Trust me, you're not going to offend anyone on here let alone the other MUC posters.  It's a well documented inside joke that anyone that's ever played there is in on.  But as I've said before, I wouldn't trade the friends I've made and the stories I have for a few wins in college.  Sounds like you're in the same boat.  

We all know how the program is run so sometimes you gotta ask the question of why people are still coming back to coach along side hesse. To quote one of my good friends and former teammates "Everyone bashes him and then they apply 4 a job 2 work under him ... that makes a whole lotta sense..."

I have to agree with him. I need a job, but im not that desparate. Esspecially seeing how other established coaches worked with hesse, why would a young coach with little experience want to attempt to make his name with the purple raiders.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 11:16:17 PM
Quote from: inthecrease on July 28, 2009, 10:42:48 PMWe all know how the program is run so sometimes you gotta ask the question of why people are still coming back to coach along side hesse. To quote one of my good friends and former teammates "Everyone bashes him and then they apply 4 a job 2 work under him ... that makes a whole lotta sense..."
I can only speak for myself, but if I ever considered being an asst. there my reasoning would be that I love baseball and I love Mount.  While it's not the perfect situation by any means I would go into it w/ the goal of making playing baseball at Mount as fun and fulfilling as possible.  I know I wouldn't be able to change the way things are done, but you can try to make sure your guys love showing up every day, work hard and never stop having fun.  

Quote from: inthecrease on July 28, 2009, 10:42:48 PMI have to agree with him. I need a job, but im not that desparate. Esspecially seeing how other established coaches worked with hesse, why would a young coach with little experience want to attempt to make his name with the purple raiders.
Now this I have no answer for.  If I had aspirations of being a college HC I wouldn't stick around long.  I would do everything I could to get on the staff somewhere like Wooster, Etta, Berg, OC, etc. even if it meant being a volunteer asst.

   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on July 29, 2009, 01:10:02 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on July 28, 2009, 10:42:48 PM
Quote from: mucbaseball08 on July 28, 2009, 12:45:28 AM
One of my former teammates and close friends went and interviewed for an assistant coaching job with Coach Hesse this week and he came away with this from the interview.


Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 28, 2009, 01:48:27 AM
Trust me, you're not going to offend anyone on here let alone the other MUC posters.  It's a well documented inside joke that anyone that's ever played there is in on.  But as I've said before, I wouldn't trade the friends I've made and the stories I have for a few wins in college.  Sounds like you're in the same boat.  

We all know how the program is run so sometimes you gotta ask the question of why people are still coming back to coach along side hesse. To quote one of my good friends and former teammates "Everyone bashes him and then they apply 4 a job 2 work under him ... that makes a whole lotta sense..."

I have to agree with him. I need a job, but im not that desparate. Esspecially seeing how other established coaches worked with hesse, why would a young coach with little experience want to attempt to make his name with the purple raiders.

I know what you mean, I'd never want to go work for the man but as 22/23 year olds and my friend wanting to make a career of becoming a baseball coach preferably in the college ranks this is our only in.  Currently he works for a baseball academy in the Cleveland area and coaches a very good freshman in H.S. aged team but would prefer being near a college campus, recruiting and such. 

With us playing for Coach Bunnell I guess my friend saw how he turned a 4 year stint as assistant at Mount to becoming head coach of the Stark County Terriers and now obtaining his masters at North Central so he can soon take over a program of his own.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 29, 2009, 07:56:01 AM
The picture you guys paint of MU baseball isn't a good one. I have heard that LK expects and demands a great deal from the coaches of all programs. It is difficult to comprehend that a program under LK could be handled the way that has been described in previous posts. I know Coach Wojo was working 16+ hour days 7 days a week last winter and spring. I can't see how another coach particularly a head coach could not be putting in the effort to run a quality program while working for LK. It just doesn't add up. I see Coach Hesse at more HS baseball games in Stark Co. than any other college coach. The only other coach that comes close is Coach Mead from Walsh. I guess I am having a hard time understanding the problems with the program. It is easy to disagree with strategy and recommendations for all conference teams. The MU baseball program seems to get its fair share of talent year in and year out. The MU baseball team is competitive in the OAC every year all though they don't win many OAC titles. I don't get it. What are the specific problems with the program?  ???

Guys I am not trying to start a Hesse bashing session. I am just curious what in your opinion needs to be done differently to improve the baseball program at Mount.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on July 29, 2009, 01:26:44 PM
I think it is more of a respect thing.  The guys on the team don't take the head coach serious and while some of it is the usual nit picking of a person in charge, Hesse doesn't really help his case.  He tells stories of when he played for Kent State as a starting outfielder.  He references Bob Todd as if they are best friends.  Coach Hesse is not married or has children but told another coach in Florida that his two sons are off playing division I baseball.

I think he is a very nice person, just not a baseball guy.  He is also the assistant to the AD in the athletic department so I think he isn't someone that ruffles any feathers and doesn't say No to LK very often.  I guess I look at it as Mount has a Romeo Crennel type coach and they need a switch to a disciplinarian like Mangini.  I thought Gilhousen would have taken over the head coaching job within the first 2 years of him coming to Mount but that never came to fruition.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on July 29, 2009, 01:31:18 PM
Sorry I can't seen to find the edit button but I want to clarify if what I mentioned doesn't seem strange.  Coach Hesse ran track, he was not on Kent's baseball team but rather a grad assistant.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 29, 2009, 02:51:32 PM
I'll comment on Bump's question in a bit.

In the meantime 08, if you look at your post after you've posted there is a modify button in the upper right (right by the quote button). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 29, 2009, 05:18:34 PM
08 you don't get the modify / edit feature until around 25 posts. I think your only feature to fix screw ups at this point is to delete your post and redo it. Believe me it is not comfortable hitting the post button without the edit safety net. I am waiting patiently (I might add) for the karma option to show up.  :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 29, 2009, 05:48:05 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 05:18:34 PM
I am waiting patiently (I might add) for the karma option to show up.  :)

You mean this one???

+K for everyone, because I can  ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on July 29, 2009, 05:58:45 PM
I guess it is my turn to chime in on my former program as well.  Here is the simple truth:  The MUC program mirrors its leader in every single way.  What is Hesse's overall demeanor? Quiet, reserved, skittish and an overall push over "yes man".  So it directly translates to his team.  When push comes to shove with this program they fold on the field (see the prior two years' starts and thus the finishes).  Now take a look at the successful teams in the conference.  Marietta and Heidelberg have strong leaders who are outwardly competitive in public situations.  General tendency is that people are more reserved in public  and if that is how those two are in public then imagine the practices.  Being in the program for 3 years the practices are attempted at being intense but they fall short.  They are long but there are zero consequences for mistakes.  I have a hard time believing that is the case in the championship programs.  Dealing with pressure isn't a innate ability, it is learned and takes discipline from the top from day one.  The program can get talent in the door but they cant teach the talent the discipline across the board to get them from talented high school players to a championship level college baseball team.  If one of the new assistants believes in discipline and creating pressure situations on a daily basis and Hesse allows him to take the lead in this the program could upshot over the next several years but knowing Hesse and his tendencies he rarely thinks outside the box and ventures outside his personal comfort zone
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 29, 2009, 07:16:06 PM
Quote from: JK on July 29, 2009, 05:48:05 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 05:18:34 PM
I am waiting patiently (I might add) for the karma option to show up.  :)

You mean this one???

Yea, that's the one I am waiting on. At what point does that thing show up and where is it located?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on July 29, 2009, 07:22:36 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 07:16:06 PM
Quote from: JK on July 29, 2009, 05:48:05 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 05:18:34 PM
I am waiting patiently (I might add) for the karma option to show up.  :)

You mean this one???

Yea, that's the one I am waiting on. At what point does that thing show up and where is it located?

You'll get it when you hit 200 posts*.  The buttons appear just under the karma count.

*I believe the rationale was that Pat encountered too many 'drive-by' 'haters'; he figured by 200 posts you've proved your bona fides (and perhaps even been socialized into the d3 community's ways!)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 29, 2009, 07:30:31 PM
129 posts to go. If I keep asking Dr. A questions I will get there in no time.  :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 29, 2009, 07:42:53 PM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on July 29, 2009, 05:58:45 PM
I guess it is my turn to chime in on my former program as well.  Here is the simple truth:  The MUC program mirrors its leader in every single way.  What is Hesse's overall demeanor? Quiet, reserved, skittish and an overall push over "yes man".  So it directly translates to his team.  When push comes to shove with this program they fold on the field (see the prior two years' starts and thus the finishes).  Now take a look at the successful teams in the conference.  Marietta and Heidelberg have strong leaders who are outwardly competitive in public situations.  General tendency is that people are more reserved in public  and if that is how those two are in public then imagine the practices.  Being in the program for 3 years the practices are attempted at being intense but they fall short.  They are long but there are zero consequences for mistakes.  I have a hard time believing that is the case in the championship programs.  Dealing with pressure isn't a innate ability, it is learned and takes discipline from the top from day one.  The program can get talent in the door but they cant teach the talent the discipline across the board to get them from talented high school players to a championship level college baseball team.  If one of the new assistants believes in discipline and creating pressure situations on a daily basis and Hesse allows him to take the lead in this the program could upshot over the next several years but knowing Hesse and his tendencies he rarely thinks outside the box and ventures outside his personal comfort zone

You say the practices are long. How long are they? I have heard in the winter they start at 5:00 am and run until 9:00 am. I am surprised that they could be that long. The NCAA has regulations for football on the length of practices. (Hours per day and hours per week.)  Are there no similar regs for baseball?

128 to go!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 29, 2009, 07:52:35 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 07:30:31 PM
129 posts to go. If I keep asking Dr. A questions I will get there in no time.  :)

Ha!  Sounds like a plan!  I'll be glad to banter back and forth just to keep this board going.  The old guard (mideast, fundamentals, JK, etc.) know what a struggle it was to get posts on here not too long ago.  This kind of action in July on this board would have been unthinkable!  We're getting a nice group of regulars now and I couldn't be happier.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 29, 2009, 08:04:55 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 29, 2009, 07:52:35 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 07:30:31 PM
129 posts to go. If I keep asking Dr. A questions I will get there in no time.  :)

Ha!  Sounds like a plan!  I'll be glad to banter back and forth just to keep this board going.  The old guard (mideast, fundamentals, JK, etc.) know what a struggle it was to get posts on here not too long ago.  This kind of action in July on this board would have been unthinkable!  We're getting a nice group of regulars now and I couldn't be happier.   

I see that a number of Mount fans post. Do many other OAC schools have regular posters?

127!!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 29, 2009, 08:38:07 PM
Sadly, not a ton.  We basically get no posts from half the conference.  The other "regulars" on this board are:

mideastfan2 (Etta)
fundamentalswin (MUC)
inthecrease (MUC)
JK (Cap)
Gramps (Berg)
OAC baseball fan 3 (ONU)

lhpdiggy is a BW guy that posts sporadically.  oacfan is an Etta guy (I think?) that does the same.  And a couple Scots guys wander over from the NCAC board too. 

With you and 08 joining us MUC has the strongest presence on here right now I think.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on July 29, 2009, 08:40:38 PM
Bump are you in the program currently
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 29, 2009, 09:15:09 PM
No, I have a son that will be a freshman at MUC this fall. I just enjoy talking sports with you guys. Helps pass the time since I am not at 5 to 8 summer baseball games a week this summer. Thought I would miss it but it has not been that bad.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 29, 2009, 09:27:17 PM
Best of luck to your son, Bump.  I'm biased, but he made a great choice! 

Are you a Stark County guy?  I only ask because you know a lot about the Federal League so I assumed you were.  I grew up in Stark County and am an old Fed guy myself.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 29, 2009, 09:36:21 PM
I have lived in Stark Co. for about 15 years and have followed the FL for about the last tens years. Mostly follow football but have had interest in baseball for about the last 5 or 6 years.  I don't keep up with FL basketball all that much. I am originally from Coshocton. So I keep up with the ECOL a little bit mostly football.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on July 29, 2009, 09:46:29 PM
Pitcher or Position player?  And you will understand much more of what the 3 alums are talking about come this time next year... I didnt believe what everyone was telling me when I went in either... I was wrong
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 29, 2009, 10:10:08 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 07:42:53 PMYou say the practices are long. How long are they? I have heard in the winter they start at 5:00 am and run until 9:00 am. I am surprised that they could be that long. The NCAA has regulations for football on the length of practices. (Hours per day and hours per week.)  Are there no similar regs for baseball?

We got caught up in the "Bump to 200" campaign and I forgot I wanted to address this...

When I was there we never practiced in the mornings, that was when softball practiced.  We practiced at night.  But it wasn't the actual practice time that was the problem.  It was getting there a half hr before practice for the meeting, then going to practice for 2+ hrs, then going to run 3 miles, then going to the training room/icing your arm.  It was literally 4 hours a day minimum.  And then most of us were lifting on our own time too, so add another hour 3-4 days/wk.  But in the end it only took me one season to get used to that without it effecting my grades.  Freshmen year...different story.  That was a little rocky with the parents.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on July 29, 2009, 11:11:32 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 09:15:09 PM
No, I have a son that will be a freshman at MUC this fall.

Must be an interesting way to get an insight into the program before your son actually has a day on campus. I knew I had a great visit, but there was a big difference in how Hesse was received by me when i was in the recruiting chair and when i was in the classroom for a "skull session"

Has your son gotten his mile time down yet?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 29, 2009, 11:42:58 PM
Quote from: inthecrease on July 29, 2009, 11:11:32 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 09:15:09 PM
No, I have a son that will be a freshman at MUC this fall.

Must be an interesting way to get an insight into the program before your son actually has a day on campus. I knew I had a great visit, but there was a big difference in how Hesse was received by me when i was in the recruiting chair and when i was in the classroom for a "skull session"

Has your son gotten his mile time down yet?

Hahaha!  I almost forgot about those timed miles!  Classic.  I remember running timed miles in the fieldhouse (10 laps).  I love to run anyway, so I was running 4-5 miles daily so 1 mile was a breeze.  A coach and I got into a screaming match because I sprinted past one of our big burly 1st basemen right at the finish line to lap him and the coach claimed I had only run 9 laps.  I was screaming "He weighs 220 effing pounds and you think I had to SPRINT the home stretch because I was BEHIND him after 9 laps?!?!"  Of course, I lost that argument.    
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 30, 2009, 06:34:55 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on July 29, 2009, 11:11:32 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 29, 2009, 09:15:09 PM
No, I have a son that will be a freshman at MUC this fall.

Must be an interesting way to get an insight into the program before your son actually has a day on campus. I knew I had a great visit, but there was a big difference in how Hesse was received by me when i was in the recruiting chair and when i was in the classroom for a "skull session"

Has your son gotten his mile time down yet?

in the crease, my son isn't playing baseball at MU. I just like baseball and enjoy talking about it and learning about the MU program from guys who played there. To be honest I followed Denison and West Liberty baseball closer than Mount last spring because some kids my son played high school ball with got some playing time at those schools last year. One of the kids that played for Denison made 1st team all NCAC at 2nd as a freshman.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 30, 2009, 01:05:24 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 29, 2009, 08:38:07 PM
Sadly, not a ton.  We basically get no posts from half the conference.  The other "regulars" on this board are:

mideastfan2 (Etta)
fundamentalswin (MUC)
inthecrease (MUC)
JK (Cap)
Gramps (Berg)
OAC baseball fan 3 (ONU)

lhpdiggy is a BW guy that posts sporadically.  oacfan is an Etta guy (I think?) that does the same.  And a couple Scots guys wander over from the NCAC board too. 

With you and 08 joining us MUC has the strongest presence on here right now I think.   

Bump,

I know you are on the football board a lot as well.  I played Football at Cap, so that is my primary home, but I just love sports in general as well.  Both my roomates at Cap were baseball players, so I keep up with that program.  I respect almost no coach as much as I respect Dixie Jeffers, so I follow women's hoops at Cap as well.  The men's team at Cap has had a good run, so I have sporadically posted on the basketball boards just to show support for my alma mater.

It's about the same here as it is on the FB boards.  Lots of Mount fans, a couple of ONU guys, a couple of Cap guys (I am the most regular), and a few others who pop in from time to time who support JCU, BW, and Ott.  We've had some Muskingum and Etta fans off and on.  Haven't seen anyone with H-berg or Wilma loyaties much on the FB boardBack a few years ago there was a poster known as Busta99 who was a former Wilmington player and is a bit of a legend on that board, but he hasn't been around for a long time.  On the football board a former JCU regular named "Deoder" is THE LEGEND (another former JCU regular "traded" him to BW).  Bring them up sometime and see what you get.

This board has become a really good visit lately.  Dr. Ac is right.  In the past it was almost non-existent in the off-season.  Now, to have some of these discussions going... well, I visit this board as much as I visit the football board these days (That will change during the season, I am sure).  In my mind, a lot of that is directly attributable to Dr. Ac.  He's posted updates throughout the off-season and responds to posts to keep conversations rolling.

So, welcome.  Join the fun on both boards.  It's nice to have people who understand and speak intelligently rather than attack and act stupid like some (most) of the other message boards on foxsports or ESPN Ohio state message boards, or even JJ Huddle for the HS Stuff.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 30, 2009, 03:08:22 PM
Quote from: JK on July 30, 2009, 01:05:24 PM
Bump,

I know you are on the football board a lot as well.  I played Football at Cap, so that is my primary home, but I just love sports in general as well.  Both my roomates at Cap were baseball players, so I keep up with that program.  I respect almost no coach as much as I respect Dixie Jeffers, so I follow women's hoops at Cap as well.  The men's team at Cap has had a good run, so I have sporadically posted on the basketball boards just to show support for my alma mater.

It's about the same here as it is on the FB boards.  Lots of Mount fans, a couple of ONU guys, a couple of Cap guys (I am the most regular), and a few others who pop in from time to time who support JCU, BW, and Ott.  We've had some Muskingum and Etta fans off and on.  Haven't seen anyone with H-berg or Wilma loyaties much on the FB boardBack a few years ago there was a poster known as Busta99 who was a former Wilmington player and is a bit of a legend on that board, but he hasn't been around for a long time.  On the football board a former JCU regular named "Deoder" is THE LEGEND (another former JCU regular "traded" him to BW).  Bring them up sometime and see what you get.

This board has become a really good visit lately.  Dr. Ac is right.  In the past it was almost non-existent in the off-season.  Now, to have some of these discussions going... well, I visit this board as much as I visit the football board these days (That will change during the season, I am sure).  In my mind, a lot of that is directly attributable to Dr. Ac.  He's posted updates throughout the off-season and responds to posts to keep conversations rolling.

So, welcome.  Join the fun on both boards.  It's nice to have people who understand and speak intelligently rather than attack and act stupid like some (most) of the other message boards on foxsports or ESPN Ohio state message boards, or even JJ Huddle for the HS Stuff.

That site has gone down hill rapidly, IMO.  First off, I can rarely find anything I even want to read because it's inundated with threads on top of threads so you have to wade through pages of garbage to find anything you want.  Second, when you do find it there's an 80% chance the thread has eroded into a bunch of HS kids (or idiotic adults) calling each other names.  I usually have to come back here just to remind myself that message boards can be great when mature people are using them.

p.s. I got a little smile on my face when you mentioned Doeder!  I remember waaaay back in the day there was a poster named Van Chat (I think) that I always was entertained by.  I'll throw 4u and Toph onto my list of old posters I wish were still around.  Actually, Ric would be on there too since he's disappeared for quite some time...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 30, 2009, 03:16:35 PM
From the Great Lakes League...

Dan Jones (Etta) was named Player of the Week

John LaCorte (Ott) was named Co-Pitcher of the Week

Here's the link (http://www.greatlakesleague.org/news/view-article.php?id=47)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on July 30, 2009, 04:18:59 PM
Just wanted to update on the Asst. Coach search.  No word from Coach Hesse yet, my friend clarified that he said his last interview was Tuesday and he will decide by the end of the week.  My friend was hopeful he would have heard yesterday.  I guess he is supposed to be getting a call either way the decision goes so I will get a name when the other coach is hired.

I browsed and saw a question about practices at Mount.  The 5 weeks before the season we did 6 days a week as NCAA allows 18 hours a week to practice.  Every day but Tuesday usually goes 6-9 or 8-11.  Tuesday mornings went 5-7:30-7:45.  If you have a 7:45 class you get excused at 7. 

Bump, I wish your son good luck.  Mount is a great school that seems to keep growing.  I can't wait to see the new rec center and welcome center.  It keeps growing now with graduate programs and even engineering programs next fall, try to meet Dr. Geise the president of the school.  He is very personable and a great representative of my alma mater.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 30, 2009, 05:20:26 PM
The Physician Asst. program at MUC looks interesting. Do you know anyone that applied and was accepted into the program? The engineering  programs are a great addition to the MU curriculum. I can't count the number of times we were on visits last winter to D3 schools and potential students asked about engineering and were told either it wasn't offered or they had a 3 -2 program with another school. Not a very good selling point to a potential athlete. 

I was on campus in the middle of July and the rec center looked to have a ways to go but the welcome center appeared to be pretty close to completion. Both are going to be very nice additions to the college when completed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on July 30, 2009, 05:31:53 PM
In the alumni magazine I did recognize one person I knew in the picture of the PA class.  I remember being in some gen ed classes with him and he majored in chemistry I believe.  Here are the requirements for that...

http://www2.muc.edu/Academics/academic_programs/physician_assistant_studies/admission_requirements.aspx

I was shocked to hear the rec center wasn't completed, when my friend went to interview with Coach Hesse.  He said it isn't anywhere close.  I could have swore they targeted next month as the completion date.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on July 30, 2009, 05:40:16 PM
I doubt that the Rec center will be completed by the start of fall semester. I think a more realistic date would be around Xmas break.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 30, 2009, 05:53:02 PM
I got a tour of the rec center when I was on campus a few weeks ago.  The McPherson portion was coming along nicely as it looked like they were done w/ the rough stuff and just about ready for finishing work.  Now the Timken portion from the pool to the fieldhouse was another story.  I couldn't even go down there because it was still blocked off.  Not sure how that's going to get done by school, but I was told that was still the goal.  Color me skeptical though as I think Bump's prediction may be more realistic.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 31, 2009, 01:45:53 AM
Dan Remenowsky (Ott) continues his domination of A ball in Kannapolis.  According to their site (http://kannapolis.intimidators.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=487&stn=true&sid=t487), Dan is 5-3 w/ a 2.14 ERA and 16 saves.  He's struck out 73 in only 42 innings and has a sub 1 WHIP at 0.86.  And in his last 5 saves he's worked a perfect 9th in 4 of them.  Calling those numbers impressive is obviously an understatement.  Great to see.

   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 31, 2009, 10:27:35 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 31, 2009, 01:45:53 AM
Dan Remenowsky (Ott) continues his domination of A ball in Kannapolis.  According to their site (http://kannapolis.intimidators.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=487&stn=true&sid=t487), Dan is 5-3 w/ a 2.14 ERA and 16 saves.  He's struck out 73 in only 42 innings and has a sub 1 WHIP at 0.86.  And in his last 5 saves he's worked a perfect 9th in 4 of them.  Calling those numbers impressive is obviously an understatement.  Great to see.

Kannapolis is in the South Atlantic League, along with the Lexington (KY) Legends and the Lake County (OH) Captains.  Both not too far of a drive for anyone looking to see Remenowsky live.  However, act quickly if you want to go to Eastlake to watch him against the Captains.  They are leaving the SAL to join the MWL next season.

I know Lexington has a really nice yard... Applebee's park.  Tickets are affordable like most minor league games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on July 31, 2009, 10:31:32 AM
After actually looking at the schedule, Lexington only has one more 4-game series against Kannapolis, but it is in NC.

Lake County begins a 4-game set with the Intimidators TONIGHT at Power Park in Eastlake with first pitch at 7pm.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on July 31, 2009, 04:55:28 PM
Dan Armstrong got one of the Asst. Coachs job at Mount
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on July 31, 2009, 10:56:08 PM
Quote from: Bump on July 30, 2009, 05:20:26 PM
The Physician Asst. program at MUC looks interesting. Do you know anyone that applied and was accepted into the program?

I got a friend in the first class of the physicain asst program starting this summer. He likes it alot. Says that he spends a lot of time doing clinical up in cleveland along with the actual classroom work in alliance. Also said it is a lot of work but worth coming back for after being graduated for a year.

I wouldnt be surprised to see MUC add a masters degree for education too. The program is very good and very popular. It just seems like the next logical step in their growth.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on August 01, 2009, 07:13:40 PM
Now that the MLB non-waiver deadline has passed, I have a question:

WHAT THE HELL ARE THE INDIANS DOING???

This team went from on the brink of the world series a couple of seasons ago to, basically, Grady Sizemore and a bunch of triple-A players.

WTF??????????????????????  >:(
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 02, 2009, 05:09:03 PM
Quote from: Tinman on July 31, 2009, 04:55:28 PM
Dan Armstrong got one of the Asst. Coachs job at Mount

Dan Armstong?  Or Ryan Armstrong?  08 said earlier that Ryan was going to be an asst.  Just trying to figure out if you were talking about him. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 02, 2009, 05:14:47 PM
Quote from: JK on August 01, 2009, 07:13:40 PM
Now that the MLB non-waiver deadline has passed, I have a question:

WHAT THE HELL ARE THE INDIANS DOING???

This team went from on the brink of the world series a couple of seasons ago to, basically, Grady Sizemore and a bunch of triple-A players.

WTF??????????????????????  >:(

You might be overly generous calling those guys AAA!!  At least in the Vic deal they got a big league pitcher in Masterson.  The Lee deal is baffling.  I'm no scout, but when Keith Law says you got 50-60% of what the Jays were asking for and you should have got 90% in his mind...well, I'm not a huge fan of that.  He said they didn't get a single "difference maker" from the Phils instead opting for quantity over quality.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 03, 2009, 12:02:55 PM
I have a son in the program but that doesn't preclude him from the wrong name, It could be Ryan, but I thought he said Dan Armstrong.  The amount of changes and rumors alone muddy up the waters,
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 03, 2009, 01:26:53 PM
Quote from: Tinman on August 03, 2009, 12:02:55 PM
I have a son in the program but that doesn't preclude him from the wrong name, It could be Ryan, but I thought he said Dan Armstrong.  The amount of changes and rumors alone muddy up the waters,

No doubt, Tinman. 

In my mind it seems pretty safe to say that Ryan Armstrong is one of the assistants.  He's an alum and still lives in the area.  And he still plays in the Canton Class A league in the summers, so he still is involved w/ baseball.  It would make sense.  But for all any of us know there was also a Dan Armstrong in the mix for the other spot as well.  Hopefully Hesse makes a decision soon.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 03, 2009, 03:18:05 PM
Bump et al, I found this on youtube.  It sounds like the McPherson and Timken parts will be done in a couple weeks.  The fitness section will be done 9/30 and the fieldhouse will be done mid-October.  Just wanted to pass it along.  We'll see how close to the mark it ends up being!

Timken renovation update (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gox-rS8nxo)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 03, 2009, 03:37:14 PM
Hey Dr. A,
Have heard about the Roy hobbs league in the akron area? http://neorh.royhobbs.com/ they are old school wood bat league, 18yrs + a group of local kids 20-24 yrs old is tearing up the league most are Hudson Grads from the past 4+ years plus some local talent.  The Explorers play their championship games this Tuesday They will be playing in a State wide Wood bat Tournment and the finals are at Akron Aeros stadium
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 03, 2009, 04:38:19 PM
Heard of it?  I used to play in it for a short time in my younger days when I still lived in the Akron area.  I can't remember what the team I played for was called, but they're not in that league anymore.  I played in the Canton Class A league, but if I went too long between starts I would go pitch for this team in the RH league.  I loved throwing against those wood bats!

Are there any OAC guys that you know of in the league?  Are the kids from Hudson that go to Mount on the Hudson team?  I'm not surprised a team made up of ex-Hudson kids is good...that's a very good HS program.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 03, 2009, 05:02:31 PM
Yes sir, they have two hudson kids from Walsh University, My Son at Mount, 1 Hudson kid from university of Dayton, a couple of Kent State grads, three from the Bowling Green Club team, Here is a picture of the team when they won it all last year and they don't look like they are slowing down http://neorh.royhobbs.com/?q=node/90
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on August 04, 2009, 12:21:59 AM
The Berg has lost two fine Asst  Coaches this summer.  Matt Talarico, who worked with the infield and the hitters,  and Chad Fitzgerald, who worked with the pitchers.  I have't heard where Chad has ended up, but Matt will continue his coaching career at Toledo.
Many thanks to these young gentlemen for the excellent work that they have done for the past three seasons and "Good Luck" on their future endeavors.
The only holdover is Adam Piotrowicz, who worked with the catchers and the hitters.
Knowing Coach Palm, I'm sure that he will come up with equally talented coaches to replace them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 04, 2009, 10:13:05 AM
I have discovered in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats.  ~Bill Veeck
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on August 04, 2009, 12:43:43 PM
Sorry for the absence from the board but I read what I missed and checked with my friend who is a candidate and he confirmed it is Ryan Armstrong.  Speaking of this situation I had mentioned that Hesse wanted to choose the other assistant by the end of last week, well now it is by this Friday so I will keep everyone updated with the latest.

Tinman, welcome to the board.  I checked out the Roy Hobbs team and I think I see your son in there, I graduated 08 so I had one year with him.  Any idea where they want him to play this season?  I know my year on the team with him he was catching then 3rd, then I heard 1st.  With the loss of some key hitters they need his bat in the lineup somewhere..

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on August 04, 2009, 12:48:51 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on August 03, 2009, 03:18:05 PM
Bump et al, I found this on youtube.  It sounds like the McPherson and Timken parts will be done in a couple weeks.  The fitness section will be done 9/30 and the fieldhouse will be done mid-October.  Just wanted to pass it along.  We'll see how close to the mark it ends up being!

Timken renovation update (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gox-rS8nxo)



Well that is good news, hopefully I will get to check it out during homecoming weekend.  Dr. Acula do you play in the alumni game? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 04, 2009, 02:18:06 PM
Thanks for the update on the asst. coaching search, 08.  From what Gramps posted it sounds like MUC isn't the only one replacing staff members. 

And to answer your question, no I have never played in the alumni game.  By the time I graduated I could barely throw more than an inning because of my elbow so I thought it was probably time to hang it up for good.  I had been pitching since I was 8 and the doc said my arm just had a lot of mileage on it.  I don't have kids, but I would like to be able to throw the ball with them someday without grimacing so I haven't thrown a baseball since my last OAC game years ago.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 04, 2009, 03:15:27 PM
Thanks '08
Yes he put his time in last year he dressed every varsity game and worked his butt off in the bullpen, and played every J.V. game. He got in a couple varsity games at firstbase, but he also played alot of third and first with the J.V. squad.  He has a good head for the game, he is a good singles hitter and is a hard out, I am looking forward to this year.  His Roy Hobbs team is in a championship games tonight at the ball park in Hudson 6:30pm, and they qualify to play in the state wood bat tourney.  I'll let you know how things go.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on August 04, 2009, 04:05:10 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on August 04, 2009, 02:18:06 PM
Thanks for the update on the asst. coaching search, 08.  From what Gramps posted it sounds like MUC isn't the only one replacing staff members. 

And to answer your question, no I have never played in the alumni game.  By the time I graduated I could barely throw more than an inning because of my elbow so I thought it was probably time to hang it up for good.  I had been pitching since I was 8 and the doc said my arm just had a lot of mileage on it.  I don't have kids, but I would like to be able to throw the ball with them someday without grimacing so I haven't thrown a baseball since my last OAC game years ago.

Wow this sounds a lot like me... I had a very Justin Masterson look to my mechanics and I can't help from my shoulder popping if I throw extensively.  My time at Mount was riddled with too many arm problems, I don't think as you get to your senior year of college your velocity should drop about 10 mph haha...  I did the game last year and threw 3 innings in the alumni game, rather than a sore shoulder I came away with a massive blood blister.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 04, 2009, 04:28:17 PM
Quote from: mucbaseball08 on August 04, 2009, 04:05:10 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on August 04, 2009, 02:18:06 PM
Thanks for the update on the asst. coaching search, 08.  From what Gramps posted it sounds like MUC isn't the only one replacing staff members. 

And to answer your question, no I have never played in the alumni game.  By the time I graduated I could barely throw more than an inning because of my elbow so I thought it was probably time to hang it up for good.  I had been pitching since I was 8 and the doc said my arm just had a lot of mileage on it.  I don't have kids, but I would like to be able to throw the ball with them someday without grimacing so I haven't thrown a baseball since my last OAC game years ago.

 

Wow this sounds a lot like me... I had a very Justin Masterson look to my mechanics and I can't help from my shoulder popping if I throw extensively.  My time at Mount was riddled with too many arm problems, I don't think as you get to your senior year of college your velocity should drop about 10 mph haha...  I did the game last year and threw 3 innings in the alumni game, rather than a sore shoulder I came away with a massive blood blister.

See, yet another reason for me to stay retired...blood blsiters.  I can do without those! 

My problem was less delivery and more just control related.  I couldn't throw a fastball w/o movement no matter what grip I used and my change was in the dirt half the time so I had to use my breaking pitches as my spot pitches because they were the only ones I had good control of consistently.  It took me years of throwing tons of breaking balls to get that control and then once I had it I obviously leaned heavily on them.  Obviously not exactly a recipe for arm health when you dealt with every "gotta have a strike" situation by throwing a slider.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 04, 2009, 11:57:03 PM
Congratulations to Andy Lowe (Berg) and Dan Jones (Etta) on being named 2nd Team All-Great Lakes League this summer. 

Here's the link (http://www.greatlakesleague.org/extras/awards.php)


p.s. Forgot to say welcome to Tinman!  The MUC takeover continues.  +k and let us know how Hudson does in the tourney.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on August 05, 2009, 12:04:47 AM
Update on Coach Fitzgerald, he will coach at Seton Hill in Greensberg, Pa.

Also welcome Mr. Tinman to the blog.  How about a few more Berg fans joining up?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on August 05, 2009, 06:50:56 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on August 03, 2009, 03:18:05 PM
Bump et al, I found this on youtube.  It sounds like the McPherson and Timken parts will be done in a couple weeks.  The fitness section will be done 9/30 and the fieldhouse will be done mid-October.  Just wanted to pass it along.  We'll see how close to the mark it ends up being!

Timken renovation update (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gox-rS8nxo)



Good to hear the project is closer to completion than it appeared in July. It is going to be great for the students and an asset to the college. Once the Welcome Center, Fitness Center and Field House are complete it sounds like another project will be starting. The MU website mentions they are in the process of selecting a site to build class rooms, labs and offices to house the new engineering department. The improvements at MU seem to be never ending.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 05, 2009, 08:35:13 AM
The Hudson Team won their tourney 9-8 over the Firestone Rangers the MUC boy had a clutch double (0-2 count) in the 7th to put the tying run in scoring position then he was the winning run.  They start the statewide  wood bat tourney Thursday 6:30 At the ballpark in Hudson
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 05, 2009, 08:37:54 AM
OOps forgot to say thanks for the welcome guys! It should be an interesting year
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 05, 2009, 04:01:22 PM
They already have the annoucement up http://neorh.royhobbs.com/
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 05, 2009, 11:57:48 PM
Quote from: Tinman on August 05, 2009, 08:35:13 AM
The Hudson Team won their tourney 9-8 over the Firestone Rangers the MUC boy had a clutch double (0-2 count) in the 7th to put the tying run in scoring position then he was the winning run.  They start the statewide  wood bat tourney Thursday 6:30 At the ballpark in Hudson

Nice!  How many teams are left Tinman? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 06, 2009, 02:02:33 PM
12 teams for the state they play tonight & tomorrow then top 8 advance to a single elimination to the finals Sunday night
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 10, 2009, 01:00:36 AM
Any updates after the weekend, Tinman?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 10, 2009, 01:05:10 AM
Also, saw a rumor on another site that this may be Coach Thompson's last year at Musky.  Obviously nothing but rumors but didn't know if anyone had heard anything from New Concord?  Considering we don't have any Fish posters on here that's probably a dumb question.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 10, 2009, 09:27:25 AM
What A weekend!!!! the Hudson boys took one on the chin in the first round Thursday with a 17-4 loss, came back and won out in the poll games, got seated 6th, for the 8 team single elimination tourney, and won two games saturday, and the semi and the 9 inning finals on Sunday in some unbelieveable heat! We had a club player from B.G throw a No-No Saturday Morning.  A gutsy performance complete game from our started Sunday morning.  Two players from Walsh and the Muc player were the core of the offense.  The MUC boy went 6 for 9 for the final two games.  Had the team back to the house for alot of water and food, what a great bunch of young men! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on August 10, 2009, 11:13:11 AM
Who's the kid from BG? 

My cousin's Senior season (5th year) at BG is this spring.  He's playing in a summer league with a bunch of his teammates right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 10, 2009, 11:14:57 AM
Eric Curitore, Rh Pitcher the Hudson Explorers Summer Roy Hobbs season Ended Sunday
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 10, 2009, 11:20:37 AM
Here is how it went down: http://tournaments.royhobbs.com/world_series/NEO%20WBC%20Sked%2009%20Sheet1.pdf
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 10, 2009, 06:50:39 PM
Pictures form the final game  http://woodysphoto.phanfare.com/4266016#imageID=77712081
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 12, 2009, 06:06:09 PM
That's great Tinman!  Looks they settled in nicely after that first game in pool play. 

Also, Marietta assistant Mike Deegan didn't get the Denison job.  The Big Red hired Emory assistant Mike Clark. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 14, 2009, 12:31:33 AM
Any word on the MUC coaching situation? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on August 16, 2009, 04:26:14 PM
^^^ My friend has yet to hear anything despite Coach Hesse saying he'd hear either way so he just assumes he did not get it.  I went to a former players wedding last night and coach was supposed to be there but he did not show.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on August 16, 2009, 10:15:58 PM
Who got married?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mucbaseball08 on August 17, 2009, 10:21:45 AM
Quote from: fundamentalswin on August 16, 2009, 10:15:58 PM
Who got married?

Eddie, last played varsity in 06, only played fall ball that next school year.  I reread my last post and the whole point of that part was I was planning on asking coach what was going on but he did not show....
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 17, 2009, 03:19:03 PM
Quote from: mucbaseball08 on August 16, 2009, 04:26:14 PM
^^^ My friend has yet to hear anything despite Coach Hesse saying he'd hear either way so he just assumes he did not get it.  I went to a former players wedding last night and coach was supposed to be there but he did not show.

That's a little unprofessional.  If you're non-confrontational like Hesse, simply tell the candidates that you're making your decision by X day and only the selected candidate will be notified.  Don't tell people they will hear either way and then don't communicate the decision.  Of course, would you be shocked if he hasn't made a decision yet either?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on August 18, 2009, 12:00:04 AM
maybe he announced the new coach by posting it on his board outside of his office and no one has checked it yet. Or for you more recent raiders, he may have emailed the decision out, but forgot to attach it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 18, 2009, 08:58:32 PM
Walther's Cafe from the Canton Class A league made it to the semis of the NABF World Series before bowing out.  Soon to be MUC asst. coach Ryan Armstrong was the team's manager as well as one of it's top players.

Link (http://www.cantonrep.com/recreation/x1886167782/Walthers-season-ends-in-NABF-semifinals)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 19, 2009, 08:08:18 AM
Outstanding! I hope he brings some new energy to the program!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin on August 19, 2009, 09:32:49 PM
You would think that getting your assistant coaches in place before fall ball commences would be a big time priority, but as usual it seems that Seven is again dragging his feet. 

Sorry to be the big negative one on here but Armstrong can try and bring all the energy in the world but if Hesse puts the Kabosh on it expect more of the same mediocre results coming out of Alliance this next year.  And we havent even begun to talk about what kind let alone the effectiveness of the new assistants.

I am also hearing some unconfirmed rumors that Ridgely is heading to Massilion to work under Gilhousen as the heir apparent to that HS program... however these are unconfirmed
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 19, 2009, 10:53:58 PM
I heard from a reliable person that Spike is going to Massillon.  That was probably a month ago that I heard that I think.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on August 20, 2009, 08:28:48 AM
I heard about Spike also however he is still listed as an asst: on the website. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on August 24, 2009, 11:02:05 PM
Ryan Armstrong and Evan Agona named assistant baseball coaches for Mount Union

This just came out today. Here is the release from MUC's website
http://www2.muc.edu/athletics/athletics_archive/men_s_teams/baseball/2009/assistant_coaches.aspx


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on August 25, 2009, 09:46:29 AM
New information, unofficial, pertaining to coaches at Heidelberg.

It seems that Coach Fitzgerald has been rehired as a fulltime assistant coach.  I have'nt heard what
happened to his status in Pa.  We'll just have to wait for an official statement from Coach Palm.
Coach Piotrowicz is still slated to come back for his second season.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 25, 2009, 11:43:10 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on August 24, 2009, 11:02:05 PM
Ryan Armstrong and Evan Agona named assistant baseball coaches for Mount Union

This just came out today. Here is the release from MUC's website
http://www2.muc.edu/athletics/athletics_archive/men_s_teams/baseball/2009/assistant_coaches.aspx


I'm not sure what it means, but when I read the release my reaction was....well, I didn't really have one.  Like I said, I like Armstrong and think he'll be a quality asst.  At the same time though it's so hard for me to get excited not because of who was hired, but because of who's not there.  As a fan I'm concerned about the departure of Gilhousen and while I think Agona and Armstrong can do a good job I also worry that they won't have the clout that Gilhousen had. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on September 08, 2009, 10:20:07 AM
Watched a fall ball game at Mount Saturday, Saw Sabatino, Lambert, Hustack, and Douglass all pitch, a little rust on some of them but not bad considering some of them didn't play summer ball.  Douglass is trying to develop a sidearm devlivery he did well as the closer.  As you can expect hitting was a little off switching to wood bats, but Gearhart and Von Duyke both hit the ball hard.  They play again thursday. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 09, 2009, 12:12:16 PM
Quote from: Tinman on September 08, 2009, 10:20:07 AM
Watched a fall ball game at Mount Saturday, Saw Sabatino, Lambert, Hustack, and Douglass all pitch, a little rust on some of them but not bad considering some of them didn't play summer ball.  Douglass is trying to develop a sidearm devlivery he did well as the closer.  As you can expect hitting was a little off switching to wood bats, but Gearhart and Von Duyke both hit the ball hard.  They play again thursday. 

Any word on Mariotti circulating at fall ball? 

Von Duyke can hit.  I think he's going to have a good year.  Not familiar with Gearhart.  I take it he's a SO/JR this year?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on September 09, 2009, 02:49:51 PM
He had Surgery and is looking to start rehabing it Oct/Nov with the hopes of being ready for the spring.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on September 09, 2009, 07:04:27 PM
Tinman, you must have been at the second game Saturday. I was at the 10:00 AM game. I thought the pitching was pretty solid in the early game. The pitchers had problems finding the strike zone at times but all in all they looked good. They all had decent velocity and could get their off speed and breaking stuff over the plate. I was impressed with both catchers in the early game. They did a good job receiving and made strong accurate throws to second. I know Huth was one of the catchers not sure who was the other catcher. I agree with your point about the hitting adjusting to the wood bats. The one thing I saw in game one that bothered me some was the number of called third strikes. I would rather see a player swing and miss at a marginal pitch than watch a called strike three.  If it was close enough to be called a strike it was close enough to take a cut.                                                               
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on September 10, 2009, 03:21:05 PM
Yes It was the second game, and it was a combination of not finding the strike zone.  I am going to the game today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 10, 2009, 05:47:08 PM
Let us know how that goes today Tinman.

I might stop by OC once they get back in school next week to check out their fall ball. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on September 10, 2009, 09:25:47 PM
Game today was similar to Saturday. Pitching was a little better today. They had problems finding the strike zone at times but pitching wasn't bad overall. There seemed to be more balls hit solid today. The hitters seem to be adjusting to wood bats. There wasn't as many called third strikes which was good to see. Those things drive me nuts!!

I think there was only one error by both teams combined in a 7 inning game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on September 11, 2009, 11:48:40 AM
I'm Jealous Bump, that darn work stuff got in the way and missed it I will be there for the first game Sat. AM.  I am told Wood had was solid at the dish.  his team won 8-1?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on September 14, 2009, 03:45:10 PM
I saw the second game at MU last Saturday. Hitters seem to be making better contact. The defense remains solid, I don't remember any errors. IMO there are still way to many called third strikes. I lost count after 7 players watched strike three.  Nick Walker hit the ball hard his first two at bats. I am pretty sure they both would have been HR's if he had been using an aluminum bat. Tinman, did you make it to the early game?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 14, 2009, 05:34:19 PM
I need to start studying the roster early because I'm not familiar with some of these kids.  Talk about out of the loop...I'm clueless!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bump on September 15, 2009, 02:11:05 PM
Dr A, Don't feel bad I know very few of the players names. The only reason I knew Walker's name was because he was a guild during the summer preview we attended. I did look up his numbers from his freshman year and he hit pretty well when given a chance. I think he went 5 for 12 last year with 3 starts in the outfield.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on September 17, 2009, 04:26:13 PM
Yes the first game was at 10am Dunham sports looked good and had a good lead throuh 6+ but they pulled the starter and the bullpen was a little overworked They lost it in the 9th (Hello Tribe!) I heard that Cory Douglass and their other decent pitchers had been used up on an extra inning game thursday night.  The teams are stretched so thin I heard they had Van Duykes (outfield) Pitching relief
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 18, 2009, 05:08:18 PM
It's not everyday in Columbus you see cars driving around with OAC baseball stickers on them and when you do it's usually Ott.  Well, today I saw not one, but two cars with Berg baseball stickers on them.  My guess based on the drivers is one was on a dad's car and the other on a recent grad's car.  Someone tell George Powell that Berg stickers are in his backyard!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on September 25, 2009, 09:40:07 AM
Got word that ONU lost their big 6' 5" left hand pitcher Zaebst, dropped from the program
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Historyprof on October 15, 2009, 08:20:49 AM
ONU lost most of the pitching staff from last year.  Zaebst left the program to concentrate on academics, Miller (last years #1) transferred to NDC, Hill ran out of eligibility, Pope, who was effective out of the pen left, to concentrate on his Sr yr of pharmacy school, leaving them with two sophs with any varsity experience (Fisher and Drerup) a Sr in Sigg who has never really been used and an outfielder (Katana) who is good for about 3 innings before everyone figures out that all he has is a fastball.

Bergman STILL refuses to hire a coach with ANY pitching experience, (figures he can do it on his own). You can read all the theory you want, and understand the textbook mechanical things, but until you've had the ball in your hand in a tight spot you just don't know pitching.

It's gonna be a LONG season in  Polarbear land
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 21, 2009, 10:45:00 PM
Welcome aboard, prof.  +k

ONU's lack of a pitching coach was a fairly hot topic of discussion during the season.  Poor OACbballfan3 had to follow it closer than the rest of us.  I understand having confidence in your coaching abilities, but a good coach (or leader of any kind) knows their limitations.  You were 100% correct when you said that you only truly know pitching if you've toed the rubber.  I feel bad for those kids at ONU because they're getting cheated.  Sad to see their pitching staff take such a hit in the offseason too.

p.s. Why did Miller transfer?  NDC is D2 I believe so maybe they offered him $$? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Historyprof on October 28, 2009, 06:18:41 AM
Correct Dr A,
NDC is D2 NAIA and offered him, from what I heard, an almost full ride (depending on whom you believe). I know he had some problems with Bergman, an oil and water thing I think.

Word out of Ada is that the freshmen who came in the fall "throw stikes", in other words, have no velocity.

I see 10-30 this year, and unless I am totally off base Bergman's last season at Northern.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 28, 2009, 04:50:13 PM
Quote from: Historyprof on October 28, 2009, 06:18:41 AM
Correct Dr A,
NDC is D2 NAIA and offered him, from what I heard, an almost full ride (depending on whom you believe). I know he had some problems with Bergman, an oil and water thing I think.

Word out of Ada is that the freshmen who came in the fall "throw stikes", in other words, have no velocity.

I see 10-30 this year, and unless I am totally off base Bergman's last season at Northern.

Hahaha.  Exactly how I would interpret it as well.  Phrases like throws strikes, good command, uses his defense well, makes you beat him, etc. are all code for a soft tosser.  The good news is those freshmen are probably going to get a lot of experience. 

Sounds like it could be a LONG year in Ada and that certainly wouldn't help Bergman's cause.  Players quitting/transferring doesn't help either.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on November 04, 2009, 01:24:20 PM
Potentially the Last two MLB games this week so starts the baseball winter, wake me up in March
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on December 31, 2009, 03:25:09 PM
A new blog site: http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2009/12/31/preseason-diii-team/
has posted a D3 All Buckeye team.  Check it out, and also check the blog, as it contains many articles pertaining to the state of Ohio.  It has a series of articles containing information about his picks for the top 30 D3 baseball players, with a profile of each player.  You can agree, disagree, post your comments, or just use the information as you wish.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on January 01, 2010, 11:27:08 PM
seems like a nice site. somewhat new, we will see what its like come the spring season. and now that its 2010, its time to start the countdown to the start of spring practices
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Chris Webb on January 03, 2010, 03:01:07 PM
Thanks for providing a link to the site Gramps, always good to see people enjoying the site.

Starting tomorrow I'll coincide the last 8 30 position players with the 10 pitchers to watch this season.

Also I have a few program spotlights to introduce the various programs on the DIII/NAIA level to the site for some of the DI fans or other smaller programs to become more familiar with. The spotlights will have a few questions answered by the coach about their program.

The first should come out towards the end of next week with the spotlight on Baldwin Wallace.

Once February comes around previewing the individual conferences and teams will be rolled out.

I was very class with a lot of friends from the 2008 Otterbein class and my interest in DIII ball has picked up with the friendships.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on January 18, 2010, 07:20:27 PM
D3 preseason All-American is out and the Mid-East Region has a plethora of young athlete's among them including 2B Gar Keene and Andy Lowe of Heidelberg chosen as 2nd team.  Our sincere congrats to them and to all the rest of the Mid-East Region's teams whose members have been picked for this high accolade.  Well, the season is really getting close to the start now, let's began with "PLAY BALL"  At least I think that I'm hearing that in my inner ear.  Looking forward to seeing you all at the ballpark.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 26, 2010, 02:56:32 PM
Preseason poll is out....Berg checks in at 10 and Etta at 14.  We're getting closer and closer.  First games are a month away!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on January 27, 2010, 01:04:16 AM
heartland conference has their preseason poll out. Should we expect any surprises in the OAC poll besides the Best (Burg, Marietta, Otterbein) the middle (MUC, JCU, Musky) and the Rest (BW, Cap, Wilmington, ONU)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Chris Webb on January 27, 2010, 11:45:43 AM
The OAC actually does not do a pre-season coaches poll. We inquired about that and the commish said they do not, but couldn't give a reason why they don't and would look in to it.


So maybe the pressure will produce one this year?!

Anyhow you shouldn't see many surprises, the bottom appears to be making strides but the talent gap 1-3 is still a bit ahead of 4-7 and 8-10.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 27, 2010, 01:44:19 PM
Quote from: inthecrease on January 27, 2010, 01:04:16 AM
heartland conference has their preseason poll out. Should we expect any surprises in the OAC poll besides the Best (Burg, Marietta, Otterbein) the middle (MUC, JCU, Musky) and the Rest (BW, Cap, Wilmington, ONU)

Like Chris said, there's unfortunately no preseason poll in the OAC.  For some reason they don't do them in baseball or softball.

And come on, crease...give the Jackets at least a little love and call them "middle"!! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on January 28, 2010, 04:33:49 PM
Sorry. I have no idea on how the jackets will be this year. I simply will always have them in the "rest" category as long as their colors and jerseys are mustard and brown.

Additional note: great article about the recent late night talk show wars and relating it to baseball

http://thecoachscave.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-conan-taught-us.html
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on February 01, 2010, 11:44:14 PM
The magic day in D3 has come and many teams are having their first official practices today. Here is a video of Mount's practice today in the newly renovated fieldhouse. It looks really nice, but i think there was some fog that rolled in for the practice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM8rlEgPzcM
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 02, 2010, 06:15:13 PM
That video makes me miss playing.  It does not, however, make me miss throwing off a plastic mound in the fieldhouse!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on February 04, 2010, 08:17:07 AM
Found out that video was made with a camera phone, he needs to clean his lens, but even that is enough to give me hope baseball is just around the corner.  I am going to Winter Haven for few days next month to watch MUC, or should I say UMU?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on February 08, 2010, 02:43:26 PM
FYI!!   

The OAC is currently being reviewed by Chad  Markert at Buckeyestatebaseball.com.
As of today, they have covered BW and Capital, with the rest of the conference to be previewed this week.  Should be interesting.
Things are heating up for the start of the season.  Just three weeks till Florida.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 11, 2010, 01:16:42 PM
Quote from: Gramps on February 08, 2010, 02:43:26 PM
FYI!!   

The OAC is currently being reviewed by Chad  Markert at Buckeyestatebaseball.com.
As of today, they have covered BW and Capital, with the rest of the conference to be previewed this week.  Should be interesting.
Things are heating up for the start of the season.  Just three weeks till Florida.


Here's a link:  BSB Preview (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/02/07/ohio-athletic-conference-preview-week/)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on February 11, 2010, 02:01:18 PM
Dr. Acula,   Heidelberg has out their new "Media Guide" which has a preview of this years team with all of the projected changes to the starting lineup.  The most notable will be that Elvin Williams will also be playing in the outfield as well as pitching.  Check out the preview at: http://www.heidelberg.edu/sites/herald.heidelberg.edu/files/2010_BB_Media_Guide.pdf

Looks like a powerful lineup for the coming season.

GO BERG!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 11, 2010, 02:41:16 PM
Thanks Gramps!

Berg is going to be battle tested when they get to the OAC season.  NC Wesleyan, Carthage, Montclair St, OWU, Denison and Adrian on the pre-OAC schedule.  That's a very nice non-conference slate.  Should serve them well as the season rolls on. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on February 12, 2010, 11:54:17 AM
It should be an intersting year at MUC. or should I jump the Gun and call them UMU, counting the days til FLA.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 14, 2010, 03:09:05 AM
All 10 previews are up at Buckeye State Baseball as are the OAC Q&A with Jim Dixon and Dave Kisor from D3baseball.com and the predictions for 2010.

OAC preview (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/02/07/ohio-athletic-conference-preview-week/)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on February 14, 2010, 07:18:17 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 14, 2010, 03:09:05 AM
All 10 previews are up at Buckeye State Baseball as are the OAC Q&A with Jim Dixon and Dave Kisor from D3baseball.com and the predictions for 2010.

OAC preview (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/02/07/ohio-athletic-conference-preview-week/)

Thanks Dr. Acula, I will be attending a fund raiser for the baseball team next week and will be sure to tell all of the other parents and grandparents to check out the web site.  All of the team articles were well written and will add to the enjoyment of the games when we meet that particular team.  Looking forward to more stories as the season progresses.  Keep up the good work, I know, for one, that I certainly appreciate your diligence in researching each team.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 15, 2010, 11:44:42 PM
Great story...kind of OAC related....

The 2007 Bluffton baseball team was awarded the NCAA's Inspiration Award a few weeks ago.  Former Musky player James Grandey is the head coach at Bluffton.  Cody McPherson, a senior of this year's team, accepted the award.  He was a freshman on that team and was on the bus.  Anyone that has ever played a team sport can only imagine the emotions involved in a tragedy like that.   

Article (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/01/15/Bluffton-baseball-team-wins-prestigious-NCAA-award.html)
   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 15, 2010, 11:46:19 PM
Quote from: Gramps on February 14, 2010, 07:18:17 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 14, 2010, 03:09:05 AM
All 10 previews are up at Buckeye State Baseball as are the OAC Q&A with Jim Dixon and Dave Kisor from D3baseball.com and the predictions for 2010.

OAC preview (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/02/07/ohio-athletic-conference-preview-week/)

Thanks Dr. Acula, I will be attending a fund raiser for the baseball team next week and will be sure to tell all of the other parents and grandparents to check out the web site.  All of the team articles were well written and will add to the enjoyment of the games when we meet that particular team.  Looking forward to more stories as the season progresses.  Keep up the good work, I know, for one, that I certainly appreciate your diligence in researching each team.

Thanks Gramps.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to meet you at a Berg game this season.  Are you heading south for the spring trip?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on February 16, 2010, 12:41:35 AM
Dr. Acula,  Looking forward to meeting you also.  Just look for the oldest  man in the Berg stands, That will be me.  Yes, there will be a whole group of us going down.  It'll be good to be back in the old ball park and cheering on the kids. My wife and me have met many nice people while being involved with our grandchildren's sports.  It keeps us young. Can't wait for the start of the season.  Reading all of your articles and the comments of the other blog writers has got me ready to enjoy another year of baseball.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 21, 2010, 12:13:38 AM
BW will be looking for a new coach it sounds like....any guesses on who it might be?  Promote an assistant?  Are there BW alumni in the coaching ranks elsewhere?

BSB blurb (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/02/21/baldwin-wallaces-bob-fisher-to-retire/)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on February 21, 2010, 08:47:35 AM
ill put my early money on an assistant, but hired from outside for his first head coaching gig, not promoted within.

with jobs the way they are, you gotta figure you will have any assistant coach with a few years experience in ohio applying. Add that to an alumnus head coach that wants to go back home, and some high school coaches from cleveland who want a challenge at the next level. i think BW will have a fantastic summer of sorting through resumes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 22, 2010, 01:21:14 AM
There's no denying that BW is a good job.  That program is established, it's in pretty good shape and it's in a good location from a recruiting aspect.  It would be a great first job if someone is lucky enough to land it.  I hope a certain former MUC asst. applies.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 22, 2010, 01:24:14 AM
Speaking of new coaches....Cap has a good young first time HC.  Check out the article here (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/02/22/on-campus-capital/).  The Crusaders aren't going to be pushovers much longer.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 26, 2010, 08:20:20 PM
Cap and JCU get the OAC started on Sunday down south.  Season's here!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on February 27, 2010, 01:45:17 PM
I'm ready for a new season!!

Here's to a great year in the OAC....and a great post-season run to Appleton by some of the OAC powers!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2010, 03:17:41 PM
Cap gets the OAC off to a good start beating John Jay 15-5 in their opener.  JCU is taking on JJ right now.  Congrats to Coach Grice on his first win!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2010, 10:51:08 PM
Cap dropped a pair to Cedarville today.  4-0 and 6-0.  Crusaders are 1-2 now.

JCU thumped John Jay 23-0 yesterday and got a nice win over NC Wesleyan 4-3 today. 

ONU opened with a 7-3 win over Eastern (PA) today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: DelawareCityMan on March 04, 2010, 11:39:23 AM
What's going on in Westerville, OH with the Otterbein program?  I've heard rumors that there's been some bigtime internal problems with the team that the coach wasn't aware of and the Administration learned about through the wrong channels.  Guess the school is deciding on whether to suspend the players involved for the season to possibly even suspending the program for the 2010 schedule.  This could cause problems with future recruiting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2010, 02:21:15 PM
I heard the same.  I was told the entire team was suspended from all baseball activities for a week, but they would not be suspending the 2010 season.  Again, these are rumors around campus, but what I heard amounted to a case of "boys being boys" getting out of hand.  I didn't think it was as big a deal as others, but maybe that's just me.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 06, 2010, 12:26:21 PM
Marietta gets their season started today in Memphis.  The spring trip brings great competition once again!

Memphis, TN
3/6  Rhodes College (DH) 

Abilene, Texas
3/8  Texas-Tyler 
3/8  Texas-Dallas 
3/9  Hardin-Simmons 
3/9  McMurry University 
3/10  Mary Hardin-Baylor

Memphis, TN
3/12  Rhodes College
3/13  Illinois Wesleyan 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: MC Pioneer Fan on March 06, 2010, 06:59:58 PM
The Etta Express got off to  a strong start, beating Rhodes 3-0.
Junior RH Mark Williams threw a CG- 7 inning 2 hitter, with 8 K's and
1 BB.

DH Chris Beatty lead the Pioneers with 2 hits of 6 total, and
SS Tim Saunders went 1 for 2 with 2 SB's.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2010, 10:46:19 PM
Big win for Berg over #9 Carthage today 3-1.  Especially impressive considering it was their #3 starter against Carthage's ace.

MUC lost 10-4 to Marysville.

JCU split w/ Juniata. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on March 07, 2010, 11:10:35 PM
are the purple raiders playing at a real field in florida or a pitch and putt? Ferrell with 2 home runs in 2 games. That puts him on pace for 20+ (im too lazy to count the total number of games for mount)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2010, 01:11:05 AM
Quote from: inthecrease on March 07, 2010, 11:10:35 PM
are the purple raiders playing at a real field in florida or a pitch and putt? Ferrell with 2 home runs in 2 games. That puts him on pace for 20+ (im too lazy to count the total number of games for mount)

Haha!  I'm not sure, but their first game wasn't even in FL.  It was at Marysville (TN).  I would assume their home field is at least respectable depth.  And the weird thing is that Berg is in Port Charlotte too and I don't think they have a homer yet (of course they're 4-0 so I'm sure they're very concerned about that).  Hopefully it's just a sign Ferrell is gonna have a huge season.  They need him to.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2010, 12:14:42 PM
Listening to the Raiders right now...not exactly sure why OF Kyle VonDuyke was brought in to pitch in a 4-2 game.  I didn't even know he pitched?!  He gave up a double (runner thrown out trying to stretch it to 3), a 4 pitch walk and a single before being relieved by Douglass who quickly got a DP ground ball.  MUC is up 7-2 in the 9th so it's a moot point, but it just seemed like an odd situation to bring in a guy with little to no experience on the mound.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin2 on March 08, 2010, 10:08:09 PM
I think we can just chalk that up to something really random when it came to decision making... None of the hitter scheduled were LH and it was the heart of the order in a tight ball game... very bizzare
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 08, 2010, 10:14:04 PM
Marietta split their games today....

They crushed UT-Tyler 18-5, then lost their nightcap against UT-Dallas 2-1 on a walk-off HR in the 9th.

MC now stands at 2-2 on the year, both losses coming in the last at-bat (extra innings vs Rhodes, and today's walk-off).  The pitching looks very promising this year with Williams, Gasser, and Mahaffey giving great performances in their starts; and Lindquist throwing well out of the pen.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on March 08, 2010, 11:35:14 PM
Whoever had Game #3 as the first game of the season where we would question the decision making skills of coach hesse won the pool. I personally had my money on Game #1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on March 08, 2010, 11:35:59 PM
And is this new and improved fundimentalswin 2.0 we are talking to now?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin2 on March 09, 2010, 12:14:43 AM
well last year was the end of an era and thus a new user name must be born
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2010, 01:46:56 PM
Musky lost 4-2 to Defiance.  Ouch.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on March 09, 2010, 04:01:01 PM
Musky was swept by Defiance. 5-3 in the second game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 09, 2010, 09:53:55 PM
Marietta wins 2 more today against Texas teams from the ASC.

Marietta - 12
Hardin-Simmons - 10

Marietta leads McMurry 9-1 in the 7th (I'm calling this one a win).

They now stand at 4-2 on the year, and it looks like the bats are going early, and they have at least 4 good arms.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2010, 11:31:44 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on March 09, 2010, 09:53:55 PM
Marietta wins 2 more today against Texas teams from the ASC.

Marietta - 12
Hardin-Simmons - 10

Marietta leads McMurry 9-1 in the 7th (I'm calling this one a win).

They now stand at 4-2 on the year, and it looks like the bats are going early, and they have at least 4 good arms.

In other news, water is wet, the sky is blue and the sun will rise tomorrow.   ;D  Just kidding mideast.  I know that was a question coming into the year so it's been very positive for Etta.

I hope Ott plays their DH Saturday.  I feel like we've got a decent feel for Berg and Etta now.  Need to see what Ott has going on.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 10, 2010, 06:08:14 PM
^^^^ nice!  ;D

MC finished off their Texas swing with a 10-2 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor, and got a strong pitching performance from Blaski (their 5th different starter with a great outing).....they now stand at 5-2 on the season. 

They'll play Rhodes College and Illinois Wesleyan in Memphis, TN on their way back to Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 11, 2010, 09:06:46 AM
Just got back from Fla., watching MUC 4-1 overall, Ferrell is on a tear three home runs!, the team bats are doing well, Defensively they are progessing,  they have 3 errors over the 5 games, the venues got a little worse each day, they are playing most of the rest of the games in WinterHaven, man has that place fallen off Tribe has been in Tuscon 2 years and chain o' lakes looks pretty beat.  They start back here Tuesday at Walsh
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 11, 2010, 09:24:16 AM
Forgot to mention one new wrinkle, Coach Hesse has left the dugout,  he coaches third now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Historyprof on March 11, 2010, 01:07:42 PM
Congrats to ONU's Matt Rader named OAC hitter of the week for his performance in Myrtle Beach last week. He was 9-for-17 (.529), drove in six runs, scored eight, had two triples and a double.

Not sure of the level of competition but an impressive week
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 11, 2010, 05:29:15 PM
The Heidelberg varsity game in LaGrange, Ga.has been rescheduled from 6:00PM

to 7:00PM.  It can be followed on "live stats" from the Heidelberg web site: http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/mbaseball

GO BERG!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 11, 2010, 07:44:18 PM
7:40PM --- No score on "live stats" yet, as a matter of fact, no action  on "live states" at all. A little frustrating.  I wonder if "live stats" is even working.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 11, 2010, 07:47:17 PM
Just got off the Berg web site, start switched to 8:00PM
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 11, 2010, 08:08:59 PM
A special congrats to "Sly" Nino on winning OAC "Pitcher of the Week" for his masterful win over top ranked Carthage.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 12, 2010, 12:25:35 AM
Brian Koehl goes 2-0 as the Berg tops LaGrange  14-5.  Heidelberg pounded out 19 hits, with 7 players having multiple hits led by Williams 4-6 with 5 RBIs and Lizcano 3-6 and 3 RBIs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 13, 2010, 10:00:59 AM
Muc washed out in Fla. Buses roll this morning
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 13, 2010, 09:19:20 PM
Marietta's senior Chris Beatty is making a play for DIII hitter of the week.  His 4-4, 2 HR, 9 RBI performance in today's 20-8 victory over Illinois Wesleyan extended his hitting streak to 7 games, and raises his team leading average.

In the last week (9 games) Beatty has hit .457, with 18 RBI's, 2 HR, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 16 runs, and a nice .857 slugging percentage.

Marietta ends their spring trip at 7-2.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 15, 2010, 11:57:53 AM
Quote from: Historyprof on March 11, 2010, 01:07:42 PM
Congrats to ONU's Matt Rader named OAC hitter of the week for his performance in Myrtle Beach last week. He was 9-for-17 (.529), drove in six runs, scored eight, had two triples and a double.

Not sure of the level of competition but an impressive week

The level of competition is pretty bad to say the least.  ONU has few if any tough opponents until league play.  They are hitting the ball well, but pitching still seems to be a rough point.  Congrats to Matt, he deserves all the praise in the world.  After being benched for two seasons and never seeing the light of the field, bergman finally decides to play him.  Still NOT a fan of this coach, he is pretty bad.  The addition of all american coach Jeff Mercer (Wright State) had to be the spark the bears needed.  Very good weekend, going 3-1 in indiana, but playing no competition. 

Congrats to the rest of the OAC for a good weekend!




Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2010, 05:16:48 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 15, 2010, 11:57:53 AM
Quote from: Historyprof on March 11, 2010, 01:07:42 PM
Congrats to ONU's Matt Rader named OAC hitter of the week for his performance in Myrtle Beach last week. He was 9-for-17 (.529), drove in six runs, scored eight, had two triples and a double.

Not sure of the level of competition but an impressive week

The level of competition is pretty bad to say the least.  ONU has few if any tough opponents until league play.  They are hitting the ball well, but pitching still seems to be a rough point.  Congrats to Matt, he deserves all the praise in the world.  After being benched for two seasons and never seeing the light of the field, bergman finally decides to play him.  Still NOT a fan of this coach, he is pretty bad.  The addition of all american coach Jeff Mercer (Wright State) had to be the spark the bears needed.  Very good weekend, going 3-1 in indiana, but playing no competition. 

Congrats to the rest of the OAC for a good weekend!






Their pitching is going to be a problem once they get into OAC play, IMO.  The hitting has been great, but they haven't really faced anything like what they'll see on a daily basis in conference play from that aspect either.  That being said, you have to beat the teams you should...and they have.  For that they deserve praise.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 15, 2010, 10:45:15 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2010, 05:16:48 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 15, 2010, 11:57:53 AM
Quote from: Historyprof on March 11, 2010, 01:07:42 PM
Congrats to ONU's Matt Rader named OAC hitter of the week for his performance in Myrtle Beach last week. He was 9-for-17 (.529), drove in six runs, scored eight, had two triples and a double.

Not sure of the level of competition but an impressive week

The level of competition is pretty bad to say the least.  ONU has few if any tough opponents until league play.  They are hitting the ball well, but pitching still seems to be a rough point.  Congrats to Matt, he deserves all the praise in the world.  After being benched for two seasons and never seeing the light of the field, bergman finally decides to play him.  Still NOT a fan of this coach, he is pretty bad.  The addition of all american coach Jeff Mercer (Wright State) had to be the spark the bears needed.  Very good weekend, going 3-1 in indiana, but playing no competition. 

Congrats to the rest of the OAC for a good weekend!






Their pitching is going to be a problem once they get into OAC play, IMO.  The hitting has been great, but they haven't really faced anything like what they'll see on a daily basis in conference play from that aspect either.  That being said, you have to beat the teams you should...and they have.  For that they deserve praise.

I completely agree.  Im proud of the bears, hope they keep it up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 17, 2010, 11:59:40 PM
Hi all, Gramps here.  Took a trip to Delaware, Ohio  this sunny afternoon.  Good day for a ball game, a Bishop and Berg baseball game.  They were like two giants in a tug-of-war ---   First OWU goes ahead 3-0, than the Berg at 4-3, the Battling Bishops at the home half of  the 8th inning are cruising at7-4.

Top of the 9th:  1st batter pops up to the ss, 2nd batter, Rickie Lizcano blasts his first HR of the season; (7-5 OWU), Gar Keen HBP, one on, Willie B(rechun) singles, two on; Jason Lash hits his first HR of the year - -WHAM - - -BAM, 8-7 Berg.

Andy Lowe, closer, finishes the game for his first win of the year.

Heidelberg stands at 9-1 for the young season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 18, 2010, 10:09:37 AM
Quote from: Gramps on March 17, 2010, 11:59:40 PM
Hi all, Gramps here.  Took a trip to Delaware, Ohio  this sunny afternoon.  Good day for a ball game, a Bishop and Berg baseball game.  They were like two giants in a tug-of-war ---   First OWU goes ahead 3-0, than the Berg at 4-3, the Battling Bishops at the home half of  the 8th inning are cruising at7-4.

Top of the 9th:  1st batter pops up to the ss, 2nd batter, Rickie Lizcano blasts his first HR of the season; (7-5 OWU), Gar Keen HBP, one on, Willie B(rechun) singles, two on; Jason Lash hits his first HR of the year - -WHAM - - -BAM, 8-7 Berg.

Andy Lowe, closer, finishes the game for his first win of the year.

Heidelberg stands at 9-1 for the young season.

Sounds like a heck of a ballgame yesterday down in Delaware! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 18, 2010, 05:45:23 PM
Muc dropped Walsh 8-5 finally decent weather in Ohio Ferrell comes through again 3 run double when it was needed
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 19, 2010, 10:47:13 PM
The Berg does it again, down 9-4 in the bottom of the 5th, they score 8 runs in the top of the 6th, add one more run in the 7th  to win the game over a good Adrian team with a 13-9  final score.

And an exciting game it was with  a total of 27 hits (H 14 - A 11); 22 runs, you wonder what these teams have left in the tank for their double header at Peaceful Valley tomorrow.  If you love this game of baseball, no matter who you follow, show up to watch, you won't be disappointed.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 21, 2010, 01:09:19 AM
Peacefull Valley was anything  but peaceful yesterday with the Berg erupting for 8 hits for 5 runs in game 1 and 16 hits for 9 runs in game 2. The pitching was just as strong as Nate James held Adrian to 3 runs and had 9 Ks while gaining his 3rd win and  Andy Lowe no runs, no hits, and 2 Ks for save #3.  In game 2, "Sly" Nino had a 4 hitter with 6 Ks for his second win.  Lowe also finished this game for his 4th save.
It was good to see Drew Buelow back from his injury and contribute with a 1 for 3 in game 1 and 2 for 3 in game 2 and did well in the field.
Game one had the following come up with the 8 hits: Williams, Lizcano, Brechun, Lash, Decker, Monroe & Buelow.
Game two hitting was led by Decker 3-5 with 2 hits each from Williams, Keen, Brechun, Lash, Buelow & Colatrulio with Lizcano getting a hit.
As you can see, this has truly been a team effort.  Every game seems to feature a different player having a good game. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 23, 2010, 11:46:47 AM
Heidelberg jumps to #2 in new poll:http://d3baseball.com/top25/2010/week-4

Check it out. 

The Berg travels to Denison for a game this afternoon.  Hope the weather holds out.


GO BERG!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 23, 2010, 01:19:59 PM
I posted this over on the NCAC board, but just to let everyone know in here as well, today's Wooster/Marietta game has been ppd. due to weather.  No news about tomorrow's Wooster/Cap game as of yet.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: countyroad on March 23, 2010, 01:28:24 PM
Looks like the Wooster game with Marietta has been rescheduled for Thursday @ 3:30.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 23, 2010, 11:53:55 PM
Berg bats beat out a steady rhythm  as all eight position players contribute to a
14-7 victory over Denison.

Led by by S. Decker's 4 hit, 5 RBI; A. Monroe, a 2 run HR; W. Brechun, a 2 run HR; and the supporting cast of Williams, Lizcano, Keen, Lash, and Buelow, the Berg carved out 16 hits to score the 14 runs.

E. Thomas  goes to 2-0 with a 4 hit, 2 ER, 3 Ks and 6 BBs effort in a 5 inning stint.

What a way to celebrate being named the #2 team in the latest poll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 24, 2010, 11:19:10 PM
Case Western Reserve ends Heidelberg's six game win streak with a 6-3 win at Peaceful Valley.

Rickie Lizcano led the Berg with a 2 run HR while going 3-4 at the Plate. Gar Keen contributed 2 hits while Elvin Williams and Willie Brechun had a hit apiece.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2010, 01:19:40 PM
On this rainy day here's a little article about Cap's QB turned baseball player Marty Assmann from BSB to pass the time:

Cap article (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/03/25/better-late-than-never/)

Hopefully the sun comes out as the OAC slate (kinda) gets under way this weekend.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 26, 2010, 01:40:11 PM
Mount better find their hitting shoes for the Marietta game!
They only had 8 hits in the 15 inning marathon with N.D. (Wood 3b and Ferrell cf had three each)
or it is going to be a long day on Saturday!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2010, 02:46:20 PM
Agreed tinman.  The thing that stuck out to me was that they only had 2 hits over the last 8 innings of that game.  Not good.  Hopefully they got that out of their system just in time for the OAC schedule.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin2 on March 26, 2010, 06:47:52 PM
Tomorrow will be interesting to say the least considering MUC's best player is hobbled by an ankle injury and they have struggled to score runs.  Marietta could make it a long day for the Raiders tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2010, 05:13:07 PM
Raiders are really laboring offensively right now.  Etta shuts them out 6-0 in game 1.  MUC has just 4 hits.  In game 2 they're heading to the bottom of the 5th down 3-0.  Just 3 hits so far in game 2.  Tracy had 2 hits in game 1 and Ferrell has a double in each game, but other than that not much going right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 28, 2010, 12:01:45 PM
It was tough to watch, Etta made the most out of every situation, they really played well.  MUC needs to get some cohesion,  also tough to start out OAC play with this much of a powerhouse
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 29, 2010, 08:27:56 AM
I was busy all weekend so I didn't get a chance to follow Saturday's games.....sure looks like MC played well.  Blaski has been amazing thus far & only adds to the strong one-two punch with Williams.  If Gasser, Lindquist, Mahaffey, and the rest can give some strong innings out of the pen and during the non-conference weekday games, Marietta could definitely be looking at a Regional appearance once again....the schedule sets up very nicely with that many good arms!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 30, 2010, 09:04:57 AM
Congratulations to Austin Price, freshman pitcher who was named OAC Pitcher of the week!  I am really going to see what happens when the Bears get into the OAC... they have been seeing some easy pitching and hitting (OSU-Lima),, should be a good challenge!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 30, 2010, 07:25:46 PM
Quote from: OAC baseball fan 3 on March 30, 2010, 09:04:57 AM
Congratulations to Austin Price, freshman pitcher who was named OAC Pitcher of the week!  I am really going to see what happens when the Bears get into the OAC... they have been seeing some easy pitching and hitting (OSU-Lima),, should be a good challenge!

congrats, but it really makes you wonder what is going on with the people who choose the Pitcher of Week.  Price's only outing of the week was the first 5 innings of a game against a Community College team.  When I played years ago, our JV team used to play against the OSU-campus teams.

Anyways, good luck to the young man, his future looks to be bright!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 31, 2010, 12:31:13 AM
Peaceful Valley was the scene of an eruption of Berg bats that beat out  a tattoo of 17 hits in game 1 for a 14-11 win ad 21 hits in game 2 for a 20-14 win over Manchester College of Ind.

Among the total of 38 hits were 7 HRs, 2 in game 1 by R. Lizcano and G. Keen; and 5 in game 2 by J. Lash 2 and by R. Lizcano, W. Brechun & S.  Decker, 1 each.

Needless to say,  the Berg Bats were in orbit tonight.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 31, 2010, 08:29:15 AM
Marietta picked up 2 more in-region wins over Denison last night, and will be back on the diamond Thursday when they host in-region foe Washington & Jefferson.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2010/3/30/BB_0330100405.aspx?path=baseball
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2010, 08:01:14 PM
MUC lost to Walsh 10-2.  Only 4 hits today so the bats need to wake up quickly. 

Also, Cap picked up a win in exciting fashion scoring 3 in the bottom of the 9th to tie Thomas More then getting a walk off homer in the bottom of the 10th to win it.

Berg was in action as well, but that one's all Gramps!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 31, 2010, 10:18:48 PM
AND THE BATS GO ON ------
The Berg exploded for 11 runs on 18 hits with all starters getting a hit. They were led by R. Lizcano, 4-5, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, E. Williams, 3-5, 4 runs; G. Keene 2-5, 3 RBIs; W. Brechun 3-5, 1 RBI; and A. Buelow 2-3, 3 runs.

Ethan Holt was overpowering in silencing the Wittenberg bats to the tune of 2 hits with 1 run scored and knocking out 7 Ks.

OAC opener vs. Muskingum U. Fri., Apr. 2nd. Start time 1:00PM.

GO BERG !!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 01, 2010, 08:29:55 AM
Walsh's Marc Miller had himself a day 2 doubles, 4 rbi, HPB, single, Muc defense looked ok but the hitting was missing to say the least.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2010, 01:02:11 PM
Quote from: Tinman on April 01, 2010, 08:29:55 AM
Walsh's Marc Miller had himself a day 2 doubles, 4 rbi, HPB, single, Muc defense looked ok but the hitting was missing to say the least.

I expect the hitting to drop off some as they go through OAC play just because the quality of the pitching is better.  But what worries me is that the hitting has been sliding significantly already and they're barely into conference play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 02, 2010, 10:10:36 AM
MUC Double header vs Wilmington today, 1,3pm I hope they fare better than the last conf game
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 03, 2010, 12:00:46 AM
Heidelberg and Muskingum split a DH today.

In Game 1, the Berg came out on top in a 10-5 win.
W. Brechun hit HR #3 and went 3-3, 4 RBIs & 4 runs; J. Lash, 1-1, 2 RBIs, 1 run, 3 BB; R. Lizcano 2-4, 1 RBI, 2 runs; S. Decker, 2-4, 1 RBI; and A. Monroe with a hit.
N. James gets win #5 and A. Lowe, save #6.

Game #2 saw the Berg go down in defeat 12-10 on the strength of a B. Whiteman Grad Slam in the eighth.
R. Lizcano topped off an awesome week going 3-4, 1 RBI, 3 runs; W. Brechun, 2-5, 3 RBIs and single hits from E. Williams, G. Keen, J. Lash, K. Gainey, S. Decker and A. Monroe.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 03, 2010, 10:53:23 AM
Ricardo Lizcano of Heidelberg had an awesome week last week going 15-20 with 17 RBIs and scoring 13 runs with 3 BBs and  2 HRs.  Strong candidate for  OAC  "Hitter of the Week".
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 05, 2010, 12:27:12 AM
HAPPY EASTER to all from Gramps.  Hope that your team goes hippity hopping down the road to many wins this season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 05, 2010, 03:46:02 PM
Quote from: Gramps on April 03, 2010, 10:53:23 AM
Ricardo Lizcano of Heidelberg had an awesome week last week going 15-20 with 17 RBIs and scoring 13 runs with 3 BBs and  2 HRs.  Strong candidate for  OAC  "Hitter of the Week".

Ricardo Lizcano was named OAC "Hitter of the Week" today for his accomplishments last week. Best of Luck and continued success to you Ricky from the Berg fans, and from Lucy too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: countyroad on April 06, 2010, 07:28:04 AM
Quote from: Gramps on April 05, 2010, 03:46:02 PM
Quote from: Gramps on April 03, 2010, 10:53:23 AM
Ricardo Lizcano of Heidelberg had an awesome week last week going 15-20 with 17 RBIs and scoring 13 runs with 3 BBs and  2 HRs.  Strong candidate for  OAC  "Hitter of the Week".

Ricardo Lizcano was named OAC "Hitter of the Week" today for his accomplishments last week. Best of Luck and continued success to you Ricky from the Berg fans, and from Lucy too.

What a week!  Wow. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 06, 2010, 11:22:08 PM
The Berg improved to 18-3 on a 12-3 win over Denison. 

Led by Ricardo Lizcano's 2 solo HRs and Jason Lash's 2 Doubles and 1 Triple and A.  Monroe's 3-4  with 1 HR; also with E. Williams &  W. Brechun each going 3-5,  the Berg out hit the Big Red 16 to 11.

Brian Koehl  comes up with win # 3 against 0 losses.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2010, 12:17:21 AM
It seems like just about every team has at least one guy that you really want to see in person.  Berg has a bunch.  Guys like Hiscox, Ferrell, Whiteman, Beatty, etc. are just a lot of fun to watch hit too.  We're very lucky that Ohio has some outstanding DIII ballplayers.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: inthecrease on April 07, 2010, 01:50:51 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2010, 12:17:21 AM
It seems like just about every team has at least one guy that you really want to see in person.  Berg has a bunch.  Guys like Hiscox, Ferrell, Whiteman, Beatty, etc. are just a lot of fun to watch hit too.  We're very lucky that Ohio has some outstanding DIII ballplayers.

With that being said, is it time to reopen the discussion of having an all-star game or skills competition as a part of the OAC championships?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 07, 2010, 06:44:18 PM
^^^ I've been around the OAC for the last 15 years and have never heard anyone talk about things like that. 

Personally I don't think it would work.  The OAC tournament usually falls during some of the schools' graduation festivities, so Seniors most likely would be out, plus you can't really expect the student-athletes to pay their own way to a host college to participate...and since it's DIII, they would be paying their own way.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 07, 2010, 10:50:12 PM
In a game switched to Littick Field by threatening thunderstorms in Tiffin, the Berg overturned the Battling Bishops by the score of 9-2.

Starting out the scoring was Jason Lash's 4th HR in  the 2nd inning.  Freshman Korey Gainy socked his 1st collegiate HR in the 4th. All 9 position players contributed hits led by S. Decker 3, 2 each by Lizcano and Lash ,  and hits by E.Williams, G. Keen, W. Brechun, A. Monroe, A.Buelow and K. Gainy.

Ethan Holt turned in a neat 5.2 innings for win #4.  Starring in relief were   Brandon Stucky, Daniel Brannum and Andy Lowe.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 07, 2010, 10:59:02 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 07, 2010, 06:44:18 PM
^^^ I've been around the OAC for the last 15 years and have never heard anyone talk about things like that. 

Personally I don't think it would work.  The OAC tournament usually falls during some of the schools' graduation festivities, so Seniors most likely would be out, plus you can't really expect the student-athletes to pay their own way to a host college to participate...and since it's DIII, they would be paying their own way.



I agree with you as to the All Star Game, but a skills competition coupled together with the OAC  tournament sounds intriguing.  Let's bang this around a bit and see what comes up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2010, 06:51:08 PM
Some interesting match ups this weekend.  Find out if ONU is for real I guess. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 09, 2010, 10:18:07 PM
On a cold day (47) at Peaceful Valley, the Berg fans got warmed up by rooting their team to a 3-1 victory over a spirited Defiance nine.

In earning their 20th win of the season, Heidelberg had another team effort as 6 players had hits with W.Brechun & A. Buelow garnering doubles and R. Lizcano, G. Keen, J. Lash & S. Decker with singles.  The RBIs came from  E. Williams, S. Decker & A. Buelow.

Everett Thomas earned his 3rd win of the year & A. Lowe gained his 7th  save.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 10, 2010, 04:47:34 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2010, 06:51:08 PM
Some interesting match ups this weekend.  Find out if ONU is for real I guess. 

Marietta wins game one 21-4.  Beatty went 3 for 5 with 2 HR's and 10 RBI's.  MC also got HR's from Saunders and Levens.  Williams went 5 innings for the win, and wasn't needed after that.  Price took the loss for Ohio Northern, lasting 3.2 innings while giving up 12 runs on 14 hits.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 10, 2010, 07:31:35 PM
Marietta completes the sweep with a 16-1 game two victory over ONU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 10, 2010, 07:53:43 PM
Strange year in the mid east region.
How can you explain the Berg getting thuumped by previous 2 win Wilmington 11-0 and getting only 1 hit. They came back to win game 2 19-5.

So far the powers to be in the mid east Berg, Woo, and Etta may have been shown too much respect? Or is their greater parity in the OAc and NCAC?

It seems if you don't show up and play your A game, you very well might get it handed to you.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2010, 09:32:23 PM
Quote from: old scot on April 10, 2010, 07:53:43 PM
Strange year in the mid east region.
How can you explain the Berg getting thuumped by previous 2 win Wilmington 11-0 and getting only 1 hit. They came back to win game 2 19-5.

So far the powers to be in the mid east Berg, Woo, and Etta may have been shown too much respect? Or is their greater parity in the OAc and NCAC?

It seems if you don't show up and play your A game, you very well might get it handed to you.

I saw Wilmington last weekend at MUC.  Here's the deal with them...they have a couple very nice hitters in Fogg, Roncolato and Dunlap.  All 3 of those guys are dangerous.  Ramsey is good.  When he pitches they have a chance to beat anybody (like today).  Their problem is that after him they have almost no pitching.  Dunlap could actually be their next best pitcher.  Basically if you win the game Ramsey pitches you're likely going to sweep them.  Problem is neither MUC nor Berg has done that.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 11, 2010, 12:53:48 AM
The Berg and the Quakers split.

Game 1 - Strange game - - - A one hitter for the Berg - - - -officially - - - - the strange part is that they really did hit the ball well, but only at people.  This is what makes the game that we love so fascinating, no matter how good the team is, they can lose.

Game 2 - Good teams also never quit, as the Berg came back to a 24 hit, 19 run output for win #21.  It was a team effort as all position players had a hand in it.  Andrew Buelow had his first collegiate HR and Jason Lash blasted his 5th HR of the season in the 4th inning. Having multiple hits were E. Williams, R. Lizcano, J. Lash, W.  Brechun, S. Decker, D. Andrzejczak, & A. Monroe with G.Keen and  A. Buelow getting a hit.

"Sly" Nino went 8 innings for win #4. Ross Pruitt and Daniel Brannum pitched in relief.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 13, 2010, 02:31:33 PM
ONU was playing well, but starter Justin Good seemed to get pretty tired.  I wish the pitching coach (lack there of) would have realized this and possibly put someone up in the pen, taking the pressure off the young starter.  Its a SHAME they have no pitching coach.  I feel bad for the Bears, as they have the talent, just lack of coaching
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 13, 2010, 02:32:46 PM
BUT i do have to say, its a beautiful day, though overcast, here at the 'Berg
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: countyroad on April 13, 2010, 03:26:34 PM
Exciting matchup tomorrow coming between Berg and Wooster.  Anyone going to make the game?  I wish I could, but I no longer live in Wooster.

Who is expected to pitch for the Berg.  Wooster will likely throw Mcdowell.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 13, 2010, 04:22:52 PM
Not sure who Berg will throw as they are playing a DH with ONU today as OACfan said.  Palm will obviously use anyone necessary to win the OAC games today.  Looks like Koehl started game 1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 13, 2010, 04:57:21 PM
Just browsing through Berg's box scores I wouldn't be surprised if Everett Thomas starts tomorrow.  Then James and Nino against Etta (those 2 started against Wilm). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 13, 2010, 05:54:34 PM
HEID swept ONU today.  Looks like ONU's great start to the year has been exposed as easy scheduling; once they got into OAC play and faced the traditional powers, the traditional roles have been renewed.

OTT swept WILM as well.

MAR swept CAP too.

HEID, MAR, and OTT look to be atop the OAC once again; some things just don't change  :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 13, 2010, 11:51:55 PM
The Berg gains wins 22 and 23 over the Polar Bears at Peaceful Valley by scores of 6-2 and 7-3.

Game 1 saw the Berg explode for 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th, to break open a 2-2 tie.  Hits were spread  throughout the lineup with J. Lash's 2 and a hit each from R. Lizcano, S. Decker, D. Amdzejczak, and A. Monroe.

E. Holt garnered win # 6 with a little help from Andy Lowe, who celebrated Birthday #21.

Game 2 - After spotting ONU a 2 run lead, the Berg broke the game open in the 4th with a 6 run outburst. E. Williams led the hits with 2 followed by W. Brechun, J. Lash, S. Decker, D. Andrzejczak, A.Monroe and A. Buelow with a hit each.

B. Koehl went 7 innings to gain win # 4. B. Stucky and A. Lowe aided in relief.

In between games I met and chatted with a few ONU fathers.  Nice guys.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2010, 11:03:42 PM
Big sweep for MUC today.  They needed that.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 14, 2010, 11:58:58 PM
The Berg looses to Wooster 5-1.

R. Lizcano led the Berg with a 2-4 effort and adding a hit each were E. Williams, J. Lash, Zack Colatruglio, S. Decker, and D. Buelow.

Everett Thomas pitched for 6.1 innings and was relieved by Andy Lowe.

Now on to Marietta for a DH this weekend.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 15, 2010, 10:20:04 AM
no Doubt the sweep yesterday was a boost for MUC, plenty of ball to play yet
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 16, 2010, 09:49:57 PM
Quote from: Tinman on April 15, 2010, 10:20:04 AM
no Doubt the sweep yesterday was a boost for MUC, plenty of ball to play yet

If they can get a split tomorrow they will be right back in the mix for the OAC tournament.  Tall order w/ LaCorte looming though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 17, 2010, 04:09:29 PM
Pios beat the Student Princes 11-8 in game 1.

Game 2 scoreless ofter 1 and a half.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 17, 2010, 05:09:52 PM
^^^^ game 2 has been high scoring, with both teams having big innings...HEID needing theirs to play "catch-up."

after 5 complete:
HEID - 6
MAR - 6

http://www.marietta.edu/athletics/livestats/xlive.htm
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on April 17, 2010, 06:02:02 PM
Wild game 2 at Etta. Pios lead 13-11 after 7.

I guess the OAC plays a 9 inning game in game 2 of the weekend DH?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 17, 2010, 06:50:57 PM
yes...all the OAC doubleheaders are a 7 inning game followed by a 9 inning game.

FINAL
HEID - 15
MAR - 14

lots of scoring, lots of errors, lots of big hits by both teams.

Good DH split for both clubs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 18, 2010, 08:28:06 AM
To quote Chad Markert of "BuckeyeStateBaseball.com" in yesterday's DIII column: "If you're a fan of DIII baseball, then this is quite a weekend in the OAC. It seemed to be a consensus prior to the season that Heidelberg and Marietta were the class of the conference on paper. Ever since then the two have been circling each other like a couple prize fighters. Tomorrow the bell finally rings."

Well, today the bell finally rang. Etta took Game #1 11-8. The Berg took Game #2 in a give and take, old fashion barnburner 15-14, with the difference being two solo HRs off the bats of Jrs Gar Keen and Jason Lash in the top of the 9th to one solo HR by Etta's Chris Beatty.

To get the details of the games, go to the Berg's website at:http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/mbaseball
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OAC baseball fan 3 on April 21, 2010, 03:33:18 PM
FROM ADA

Ohio Northern beats Otterbein 6-2.  Not even that close. lets see if they can get the sweep!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 21, 2010, 09:17:31 PM
Heidelberg swept BW today at Heritage Field by the scores of 4-3 in game 1 and 24-5 in game 2.

Game 1 - Gar Keen started off the scoring with a two out solo HR in the first inning. Other contributing hitters were R. Lizcano 3-4, 1 RBI; W. Brechun 2-3, 1 run; J. Lash 2-2, 1 run; A. Monroe 1-3, 2 RBIs; E. Williams 1-2; and D. Andrzejczak 1-3, 1 run.

Ethan Holt pitched another fine game for win #6 and Andy Lowe earned save #8.

Game 2 - The Berg spread a season high of 27 hits among it's starting 8 led by W. Brechun with 6, and R. Lizcano, S. Decker, G. Keen, A. Buelow, and D. Andrzejczak with 3. Chipping in with 2 hits each were J. Lash and A. Monroe; and with a hit each J. Martin & T. McClarney. S. Decker had a day with a Grand Slam and a triple with the bags loaded.

Brian Koehl got win #5 with backup from B. Stucky, E. Thomas and R. Lizcano.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: countyroad on April 22, 2010, 01:05:11 PM
Muskingum has gone on a nice run starting with their defeat of Wooster last week, including a two game sweep of Marietta yesterday. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on April 22, 2010, 01:46:52 PM
Quote from: countyroad on April 22, 2010, 01:05:11 PM
Muskingum has gone on a nice run starting with their defeat of Wooster last week, including a two game sweep of Marietta yesterday. 

Wow!  The Muskies have made a bit of a mess of the OAC standings.

As it stands now, JCU is alone in first with an 8-2 conference record.  The Blue Streaks are followed by Heide and Ott each a game back at 7-3.  Marietta falls to 4th with yesterday's DH sweep with a record of 8-4 and Musky has crept back into the OAC race at 6-4 having won 4 straight conference games and 6 straight overall.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 24, 2010, 09:35:29 AM
Heidelberg and Otterbein postponed due to rain.  Maybe tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on April 25, 2010, 07:45:46 PM
I guess singing the praises of Musky must have done them in.  They were swept by ONU over the weekend taking them out of the running for the OAC title.  Games involving the top 4 teams in the OAC standings were all postponed and rescheduled for Monday.  Heide will be hosting Ott in a battle of teams tied for 2nd with matching 7-3 records.  And first place JCU will try and hold off the 'Etta Express in the other DH.  The surprising Blue Streaks are currently 2 games better than 'Etta in the standings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 26, 2010, 08:21:20 AM
b/c of rain this weekend, the seeding for the OAC tournament just got a little interesting.  There's no doubt that HEID, OTT, MAR, and JCU will most likley be the 4 teams.....but how they are seeded, and who ends up hosting is up in the air.

Monday 4-26
MAR at JCU
OTT at HEID

Tuesday 4-27
JCU at HEID

Saturday 5-1
MAR at OTT
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 26, 2010, 08:23:22 AM
^^^ lol.....forget what I just posted.  Just got a text that the MAR at JCU games are post-poned again.  Guessing rain will wreak havoc with the schedule once again; which will in turn show how deep some team's pitching staffs truly are :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: jskomra10 on April 26, 2010, 09:42:29 AM
Someone has to know more about this John Carroll team. Coming out of the dark to a 8-2 record in conference. Anyone know anything?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: jskomra10 on April 26, 2010, 12:28:12 PM
etta express travels to JCU for the DH on Wed at 1.
JCU has a tough 4 games ahead against the berg tomorrow then etta on wednesday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on April 26, 2010, 01:14:50 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 26, 2010, 08:23:22 AM
Guessing rain will wreak havoc with the schedule once again; which will in turn show how deep some team's pitching staffs truly are :)

Marietta benefits most from these rain delays out of the top 4 teams in the OAC.  JCU and Heide are scheduled to play 2 tomorrow and then JCU gets to then turn around and play a fresh Marietta squad for 2 more on Wed. weather permitting.  Ott has a DH scheduled for tomorrow as well vs. B-W and then has to turn around and face Heide who will be coming off their DH with JCU.  Marietta is the only team among the top 4 that can sit and rest until their DH with JCU on Wed.

I'd say the baseball gods have been smiling down on 'Etta a bit this season.  Earlier, weather wiped out their scheduled game at Wooster although Wooster still got the pleasure of beting the Pios down at their place.   8-)  And now, while all 3 contenders have to possibly face back to back DH's at a crucial part of the season, 'Etta gets to sit back and watch and rest while the other 3 slug it out tommorow...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on April 28, 2010, 09:55:11 AM
Well in a busy day of make-up games, Heide took over sole possession of 1st place in the OAC with a sweep of previous front running JCU.  And the games weren't even all that competitive as the SP's won 5-1 and 13-2. 

Heide is now 9-3 in the OAC and sits a game ahead of a 3-way tie for 2nd as Ott only managed a split with B-W and are joined by Marietta and JCU who are all 8-4. 

And things could get even more interesting today.  How will JCU respond to yesterday's beatdown as they host Marietta?  And can Heide take control of the OAC with another sweep when they host Ott?

ONU and Musky both kept their post-season hopes alive as they managed sweeps over Wilma and Cap respectively.  They are both on the outside looking in 1 game back of the top 4 with identical 8-6 records.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on April 28, 2010, 04:20:03 PM
JCU rebounds quite nicely as they take game one from a rested Marietta side 8-1!

In the other game of note, Heide leads Ott 6-0 through four.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 28, 2010, 07:44:49 PM
HEID sweeps OTT
MAR splits with JCU

updated OAC standings (remaining opponents)
HEID 11-3  (at CAP, at MOUNT) - pretty much locked up first place and will host tounament
MAR  9-5  (at OTT, vs WILM)
JCU  9-5  (at WILM, vs ONU)
OTT  8-6  (vs MAR, at MUSK)
MUSK  8-6  (at B-W, vs OTT)
ONU  8-6  (vs MOUNT, at JCU)
MOUNT  5-7 (at ONU, vs CAP, vs HEID)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 01, 2010, 07:52:03 AM
The Berg's DH vs. Capital scheduled for this afternoon has been rescheduled for Weds. due to inclement weather.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 02, 2010, 08:20:23 AM
With Wooster winning the NCAC title and the NCAA bid, this could possibly open up 2 pool C bids for the OAC depending upon how the conference tourney shakes out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 02, 2010, 09:05:55 AM
Quote from: old scot on May 02, 2010, 08:20:23 AM
With Wooster winning the NCAC title and the NCAA bid, this could possibly open up 2 pool C bids for the OAC depending upon how the conference tourney shakes out.

I agree....but only if a team other than MAR or HEID wins the pool A bid.  If HEID or MAR win the pool A bid, then the other will get a pool C.  I don't think JCU has the resume to gain a pool C bid this year' their stregnth of schedule just isn't there when compared to teams around the country who will also be looking for pool C bids.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on May 02, 2010, 09:14:01 AM
Quote from: old scot on May 02, 2010, 08:20:23 AM
With Wooster winning the NCAC title and the NCAA bid, this could possibly open up 2 pool C bids for the OAC depending upon how the conference tourney shakes out.

I've been thinking that JCU would have to win the OAC for the possibliity of the OAC getting 2 Pool C bids.  But the more I think about it, going by the regional rankings, Marietta is the team that looks like they may be on the outside looking in if the Pios don't win the OAC Tournament.  Say Heide wins the A bid.  Right now, JCU would, in all liklihood get the C and Marietta would be playing the waiting game.

A lot of it is going to be determined by how well both JCU and Marietta finish off the season.  The Blue Streaks have 5 games remaining and IMO, they can't afford another regular season loss.  Likewise, Marietta also has at least 5 games remaining on their schedule and they too can't afford another regular season loss IMO.

As always, there's no shortage of interest in watching how things unfold in the OAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 02, 2010, 12:45:43 PM
I think regardless of the regional rankings Etta is currently in much better shape than JCU right now.  JCU only has 21 wins with 5 games to play (plus the conference tourney).  They haven't showed the stuff needed to rattle off a long winning streak against decent/good teams.  Outside of Moonan they haven't had consistent starting pitching.  Evanko has been great at times, but he's been a little hit or miss.  Eggleton has been hot and cold too.  And Schaberl has struggled.  With ONU and Wilm DH on back to back days they need a lot to go right.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 02, 2010, 09:32:35 PM
^^^^^ I agree.  You also have to remember that the Regional Rankings as they currently are, don't determine who gets in the NCAA tournament and who doesn't....they are more like a starting point, that is adjusted throughout the next couple weeks. They are just a set of rankings that will change quite a bit by the middle of May.  The final rankings that are done on selection Sunday are never released to the public, and there have been teams in the past who have made the tournament over others who were higher in the regional ranings heading into the final selection weekend.

Marietta has played a stronger schedule (SOS), and has a better opponent's winning percentage (OWP).....according to the same NCAA regional rankings.  It confuses to me as to why JCU is ranked ahead of both WOOSTER & MAR, but as I said earlier, that will change by the end of next 2 weeks.  

JCU -  .364 SOS, .546 OWP
MAR -   .392 SOS,  .587 OWP

It all depends on how they both finish the next 2 weeks, but my guess if that JCU needs to win the OAC tourny to make the Regionals.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 03, 2010, 06:23:11 PM
Congrats to Ethan Holt for being named OAC "Pitcher of the Week".  He has been a welcome addition to the Berg staff and much will be expected of him for any post season action.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2010, 11:48:14 PM
The BW job was still posted as of a week or so ago.  I would think they'd want to name a successor relatively soon, but they may wait a little while so as not to steal any thunder from Coach Fisher's finale.

At 15-16, 5-9 I think it's pretty safe to say that MUC will finish with a losing record.  Sabatino and Colly started today.  I assume Mariotti and Lambert will start against Berg Friday.  Who starts Saturday then?  Beau Smith I'm guessing, but who else?

As for the other point, what I saw was basically a .500 team talent wise this year.  With a healthy Mariotti/Irwin anchoring the rotation it would have been a different story, but the lineup is just not that deep.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 05, 2010, 11:55:37 PM
BERG BATS BEAT OUT AT LEAST A SHARE OF THE OAC TITLE IN BEXLEY. The Berg 13 & 14 to Capital 2 & 9.
Ethan Holt earns win #8 in a 5 inning, 6 hit, 6 K outing. D. Brannum and R. Lizcano came in relief with 1 inning each.
The hits keep coming as the Berg totals 16 big ones with Elvin Williams banging out HR # 1 , R. Lizcano 2-5, S. Decker 1-1, G. Keen 3-3, W. Brechun 4-5, J. Lash 1-3, A. Buelow 1-2, & D. Andrzejczak 3-5.

In game 2, Birthday Boy, Steve Decker (# 22), led off the scoring with a HR in his 1st at bat. R. Lizcano hit his # 11 & # 12 in his 4-6 outing with G. Keen going 3-4, W. Brechun 5-6, J. Lash 1-4, A. Buelow 1-4 and T. McClarney 2-4.
Brian Koehl picks up win #7 with help in relief from B. Stucky & "Sly" Nino.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 06, 2010, 12:02:56 AM
Sr. catcher Steve Decker. Heidelberg, is 22 years young today. Happy Birthday Steve from your family, your team mates and the many fans that you have gained over the years.  Also a tip of the hat to you on being awarded the May "OAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE".
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 06, 2010, 05:57:29 PM
The ESPN the Magazine Academic All District 4 College Division has just named the following Heidelberg Student-Athletes to their 2009-2010 Baseball Team:

JR SS JASON LASH 1ST TEAM
SR C STEVE DECKER 2ND TEAM
JR P ANDY LOWE 2ND TEAM
JR OF ANDREW BUELOW 2ND TEAM
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2010, 04:18:52 PM
Something you don't see everyday....MUC's Kyle Von Duyke went 5 for 5 with a 2B in the 2nd game against Berg today and didn't score or drive in a run.  And he was hitting 5th in the order!  I'm no bookie, but the odds of that happening have to be long.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 07, 2010, 10:57:12 PM
By sweeping Mount Union 9-4 (Gm 1) & 11-4 (Gm 2), the Berg will get to host the OAC tournament at Peaceful Valley Field.
Title: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Gramps on May 08, 2010, 09:52:03 AM
The OAC Tournament will be held at Heidelberg's Peaceful Valley Field in Tiffin,Oh. If you have a GPS, like a Garmin, the address to enter will be: 186 Prospect Street, Tiffin, OH 44883. The same address can be used for either Map Quest or Google Map. This will be the entrance way to the field, on the right.
The schedule for the tournament is as follows:

2010 OAC Baseball Tournament

SCHEDULE AT HEIDELBERG

Thursday, May 13

Game1: #3 Seed vs. #2 Seed...Game 2: #4 Seed vs. #1 Seed

Friday, May 14

Game 3: Winners of Game1 and Game 2...Game 4: Losers of Game 1 and Game 2...Game 5: Winner ofGame 4 vs. Loser of Game 3

Saturday, May 15

Game 6: Winners of Game 3 and Game 5...Game 7: If necessary, same teams as Game 6

GAME TIMES (If the tournament is played on an unlighted field, games will begin at the earlier time.)

Game #1-1:00 or 3:30 p.m.
Game #2-4:00 or 7:00 p.m.
Game-#3 9:30 a.m. or noon
Game #4-12:30 or 3:30 p.m.
Game #5-4:00 or 7:00 p.m.
Game-#6 noon or 1:00 p.m.
Game #7-3:00 or 4:00 p.m.

The # 1 Seed is Heidelberg
The # 2 Seed is Marietta
The 3 & 4 seeds will be determined this weekend.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on May 08, 2010, 10:17:37 AM
I was there for the Muc-berg games, Berg hit often and early, Muc didn't even have bats out of the bags before they were down a few runs, Von Duyke, had a great effort and Ferrell also woke up with two home runs, it was a disappointing season full of questions after such a good start.......again
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Gramps on May 09, 2010, 12:45:33 AM
The Polar Bears drop to 26-12 (10-8 OAC) and no longer control their own destiny, while the Blue Streaks improve to 24-13 (11-5 OAC) and lock up the third seed in the OAC Tournament.

The fate of ONU's season will be determined tomorrow when Otterbein travels to Muskingum. For the Polar Bears to gain a berth into the OAC Tournament, they need the two teams to split the doubleheader.

If Muskingum sweeps, they will have an 11-7 OAC record and leapfrog ONU for fourth. If Otterbein sweeps, they will have the same OAC record as ONU, but hold the tiebreaker by splitting with John Carroll earlier in the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2010, 01:56:01 PM
it will be interesting to see how today's MUSKY/OTT games end up.  Personally, I hope one of them SWEEPS today to earn the 4th seed in the tournament.  I couldn't imagine ONU sneaking in, after going 0-6 against the 1 thru 3 seeds during the regualr season.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OTT is out...they lose game one 9-2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2010, 08:17:01 AM
MUSKY takes spot #4 in the OAC tournament by completing the SWEEP over Otterbein (just wasn't a good year for OTT from the beginning).

Thurs - May 13th
MUSKY vs HEID - 1:00pm
JCU vs MAR - 4:00pm

http://www.oac.org/MENbaseballTournament.shtml
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2010, 05:14:46 PM
Not only does MUC blow leads in both games Sunday (including a 5-0 lead in the top of the 7th of game 1) to get swept at home by Cap, but then Cap adds insult to injury by sweeping BW in Berea today to go to 6-12 and pass the 5-13 Raiders in the standings.  Tough finish for MUC.  Something to build on for Cap.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 10, 2010, 06:02:18 PM
Congratulations to the Berg's third baseman Willie Brechun on being named the OAC "Hitter of the Week" He's having an AWESOME year. Couldn't happen to a nicer young man.
Title: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Gramps on May 11, 2010, 10:58:55 PM
The link to the OAC TOURNAMENT is:http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/mbaseball/oac10
 
Good Luck to all of the teams..
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: ScotsFan on May 12, 2010, 09:51:45 AM
Here's a direct link to make it a little easier:

OAC Tournament (http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/mbaseball/oac10)
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2010, 12:04:16 PM
Looks like the weather isn't going to be great Thu/Fri, but the weekend looks pretty good.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2010, 03:01:46 PM
It's under way and it's not pretty....Berg up 23-2 in the 6th.  10 runs and counting in the bottom of the 6th so far.  Still only 1 out.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 13, 2010, 05:22:38 PM
Game One
MUSKY - 5
HEID - 29

FINAL

In the words of the great Cousin Eddie (Vegas Vacation): "I haven't seen a beatin' like that since somebody stuck a banana in my pants and turned a monkey loose."
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 13, 2010, 05:29:48 PM
Game Two
JCU - 0
MAR - 6

top of 3rd

MAR got 2-run HR's from Beatty and Levens, and Blaski has 5 K's thru 2 innings....looks promising for the Etta Express early.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2010, 06:16:29 PM
Scratching my head at the Evanko start.  Moonan just beat Etta 8-1 a couple weeks ago.  And Moonan has been their best starter all year anyway.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 13, 2010, 07:41:29 PM
^^^ I'm not sure either; must be a good reason though.

Game Two - Final
JCU - 4
MAR - 13

Friday schedule
Game 3:  HEID vs MAR - 9:30am
Game 4:  MUSKY vs JCU - 12:30pm
Game 5:  Winner Game 4 vs Loser Game 3 - 4:30pm

with rain forecasted for tonight and into the morning, hopefully it clears in time to get started by mid morning.  As long as the games don't run too long, they should be able to get all 3 in tomorrow; could be a tight fit with NO lights at Heidelberg :(
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Gramps on May 13, 2010, 08:05:23 PM
The Berg broke two long standing team OAC Tournament records - Game Hits with 32 and - Game Runs with 29.  Berg ss, Jason Lash also equaled the doubles per game record with 3 doubles and Willie Brechun tied the hits per game record with 5 hits.

It should be a good game tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM, lots of action to wake everybody up.  I don't have a clue as to who the pitchers will be.  I think that both teams are holding their cards close to their vests.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 13, 2010, 08:17:12 PM
^^^^ agreed...tomorrow should be fun!!  and I'm guessing it will most likely be the first of about 4 or 5 meetings between HEID and MAR over the next 2 weeks :)
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: ScotsFan on May 14, 2010, 10:32:00 AM
Well.  Heide is off and running this morning as they belt 2 homers in the top half of the first (not sure why Heide is the road team?) to grab a quick 2-0 lead.

But the Pios are answering in the bottom half of one as they had a lead-off homer followed by back to back walks and still nobody out.

Looks like this game is already living up to the hype.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: oacfan on May 14, 2010, 11:19:33 AM
Both teams were making the field look small early on. The bats have slowed down, Marietta leads 6-2 going into the 5th.

After the first round of the OAC tourney home team is based off a coin flip. Who know why?!?
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: ScotsFan on May 14, 2010, 11:26:09 AM
Quote from: oacfan on May 14, 2010, 11:19:33 AM
After the first round of the OAC tourney home team is based off a coin flip. Who know why?!?

No kidding.  Wouldn't it make more sense just to let the higher seeded team be the home team?  I mean, call me crazy for thinking that and all...  :P
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 14, 2010, 12:02:32 PM
Quote from: ScotsFan on May 14, 2010, 11:26:09 AM
Quote from: oacfan on May 14, 2010, 11:19:33 AM
After the first round of the OAC tourney home team is based off a coin flip. Who know why?!?

No kidding.  Wouldn't it make more sense just to let the higher seeded team be the home team?  I mean, call me crazy for thinking that and all...  :P

Ha!  I was thinking the same thing when I turned it on this morning.  Doesn't seem like that difficult of a problem to solve.

p.s. Etta up 11-6 after 6.  E. Williams and S. Nino have both been touched up by the Pio bats.  Lindquist has relieved Gasser who also wasn't his best today (although he did give up a few unearned runs if I heard the radio guy correctly).
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: countyroad on May 14, 2010, 01:00:26 PM
Heidelberg wins 12-11.  What a game.  Wow.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: old scot on May 14, 2010, 03:16:25 PM
That sounds like it was an exciting game. Do the Pio's or  Princes possess enough pitching depth to make a long run at Regionals? I think the both possess the bats.
I am assuming Peaceful Valley is the same ball park I played at 30 years ago. It was a little band box, a hitters paradise and pitchers nightmare. Just wondering if the outfield dimensions have changed? I know the field has been remodeled. That is a good thing. It was hands down the worst field in the OAC at the time.

In the 3rd. Fish 8, Streaks 4.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2010, 04:54:49 PM
crazy game.....as expected!

both HEID and MAR have shown that they have very good offenses; which will come in handy during a long Regional.  As far as pitching goes, both have a true #1 (Holt for HEID, Blaski for MAR), and each have about 3-4 other solid guys who haven't shown the consistency needed in a #2, but could easily turn it on at any given time.

Basically, to answer your question above about pitching depth.....they both have it, and if either of them has guys step up just a little bit, both will be extremely dangerous next weekend.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Gramps on May 14, 2010, 08:13:58 PM
Quote from: old scot on May 14, 2010, 03:16:25 PM
That sounds like it was an exciting game. Do the Pio's or  Princes possess enough pitching depth to make a long run at Regionals? I think the both possess the bats.
I am assuming Peaceful Valley is the same ball park I played at 30 years ago. It was a little band box, a hitters paradise and pitchers nightmare. Just wondering if the outfield dimensions have changed? I know the field has been remodeled. That is a good thing. It was hands down the worst field in the OAC at the time.


[/quote
30 years do make a difference.  It's still a ball field, quaint, but with a few amenities added.  A new scoreboard, a laser-leveled field, new backstop, new netting from dugout to dugout,  batting cages behind the third base dugout, new chair-backed seating.  The dimensions are: L 325     LC 340     C 407     RC 352     R 325.  Not a bandbox, and certainly not the worst field in the OAC.
Take a trip tomorrow and see for yourself as the Berg will again meet the Ettas for the Tournament Championship.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2010, 08:22:13 PM
JCU and MUSKY are eliminated today.

Heidelberg is in the driver's seat tomorrow as they play Marietta for the OAC title.  HEID has the pitching advantage, but as we saw today, both teams can really swing it, and won't give up.

Tomorrow will be game 4 on the season for these rivals, and possibly game 5.  I'm guessing they will face off at least 1 or 2 more times next weekend in the Regionals.....my dream is for HEID to be shipped to the Central regional in Augustana so that the OAC can have the possibility of getting TWO teams in Appleton this year!! :)
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 14, 2010, 10:48:18 PM
Tip of the cap to Musky.  They could have very easily packed it in after that beat down the Berg put on them, but they came out swinging today, eliminated JCU and gave Etta a pretty tough game too.  That's the kind of effort that makes me proud of the OAC.  The 4th place team gets blown out and gets right back off the mat and battles back.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Gramps on May 15, 2010, 08:50:13 PM
Berg Jr. Brian Koehl was lights out terrific today as he threw a complete game, 5 hit shut out over Marietta, to gain a 9 - 0 win.
It was also a big day at the plate for the Berg hitters as they came up with 15 hits,  A. Monroe and G. Keen had 3, Andrzejczak, Lizcano, & Decker with 2, and A. Buelow with 1.
Another solid TEAM performance.

2010 OAC All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player: Pitcher Brian Koehl, Heidelberg
Pitcher: Ethan Holt, Heidelberg
Pitcher: Austin Blaski, Marietta
First Base: Tom Hickey, John Carroll
Second Base: Gar Keen, Heidelberg
Third Base: Willie Brechun, Heidelberg
Short Stop: Jason Lash, Heidelberg
Catcher: Brock Whiteman, Muskingum
Outfield: Forrest Wright, Muskingum
Outfield: Britt Meador, Marietta
Outfield: Alex Monroe, Heidelberg
Outfield: Ricardo Lizcano, Heidelberg

Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 15, 2010, 10:12:05 PM
CONGRATS to Heidelberg for winning the OAC title again!!

***  side note - how in the world was 1B Casey Levens (Marietta) left off the all-tournament team???  He went 6-12 with 2 HR, and 10 RBI.  Kinda wierd.
Title: Re: OAC TOURNAMENT 2010
Post by: Gramps on May 16, 2010, 02:13:13 PM
In going over the stats from the OAC Tournament Record Book, under Individual Records, we found 3 more records that were tied: THE GAMES HITS RECORD  of 5 was tied by Willie Brechun;  THE GAME DOUBLES RECORD of 3 was tied by Jason Lash and DOUBLES 4-TEAM SERIES of 5 was tied by Jason Lash.
These were in addition to Heidelberg breaking the Team Records for HITS of 28 (Wittenberg, 1987) to 32; and GAME RUNS of 26 (Marietta, 1993) to 29. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 17, 2010, 02:08:27 PM
Special CONGRATS to RICARDO LIZCANO on being named "OAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR". He had an awesome season.
An equal round of applause is due for ANDY LOWE on being named "CO-PITCHER OF THE YEAR". Andy was "PITCHER OF THE YEAR" last year.
More Awards for the Berg: 1ST TEAM ALL OAC
SO RICARDO LIZCANO
JR ANDY LOWE 1st 2009 HM 2008
SR STEVE DECKER 2nd 2009 HM 2008
JR GAR KEEN 1st 2009 1st 2008
JR JASON LASH 1st 2009 1st 2008
JR WILLIE BRECHUN HM 2009
FR ETHAN HOLT

2ND TEAM ALL OAC
JR BRIAN KOEHL HM 2009

Gramps also congratulates all of the awardees from other schools.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 25, 2010, 05:21:42 PM
Link: http://www.bw.edu/athletics/bb/features/09_10/academicalloac/BaseballAcadAll-OAC2010.pdf

A special nod of recognition goes out to the following members of the Berg baseball team: 

ACADEMIC ALL-OAC

Steve Decker, Everette Thomas, Nathan James, Jason Lash, Andy Lowe

HONORABLE MENTION

Alex Monroe

As much as we admire their skills on the ball field, it's the skills in the classroom that
will define their careers.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 26, 2010, 12:19:25 AM
Link: http://d3baseball.com/all-american/d3baseball-allamericans-2010.pdf

Heidelberg got not only one but three ALL-AMERICANS: 

1ST TEAM
RICARDO LIZCANO
WILLIE BRECHUN

THIRD TEAM
ANDY LOWE

Gramps is very proud of these young men, but not only them, for in the eyes of
the Berg fans, the entire team is an ALL-AMERICAN TEAM.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 26, 2010, 10:20:49 AM
WOW!!!  And the Honors just keep coming for this TEAM.

MID-EAST REGION "PLAYER OF THE YEAR" -- RICARDO LIZCANO

MID-EAST REGION "CO-PITCHER OF THE YEAR" -- ANDY LOWE

They have both turned in awesome years. Bob Lowe and Pete Lizcano
will have to build new walls in their homes to accommodate all of the
Awards that their sons have earned this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 28, 2010, 12:58:38 AM
ABCA/RAWLINGS 2010 ALL-AMERICAN

1ST TEAM - RICARDO LIZCANO, WILLIE BRECHUN, STEVE DECKER

2ND TEAM - JASON LASH, ANDY LOWE

ELITE 88 AWARD - NATHAN JAMES

MID-EAST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR - MATT PALM

Congratulations from all your fans.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 28, 2010, 08:22:29 AM
congrats to the HEID guys for all those awards; they are well deserved!

hey GRAMPS, any chance a few other OAC guys were named last night at the ABCA banquet???  I can't find any links yet, but I'm hoping our league had a few more  All-Americans!!! :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 28, 2010, 09:13:39 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 28, 2010, 08:22:29 AM
congrats to the HEID guys for all those awards; they are well deserved!

hey GRAMPS, any chance a few other OAC guys were named last night at the ABCA banquet???  I can't find any links yet, but I'm hoping our league had a few more  All-Americans!!! :)

MIDEASTFAN2, been looking half the night and all morning and haven't found a link yet.  As soon as I find one, I'll be sure to post it.
From what I have seen in the OAC this year, there is no doubt in my mind that there are more AA.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 28, 2010, 02:57:43 PM
I finally found the list.   Enjoy!!!

http://www.abca.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=18900&ATCLID=1246784
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 28, 2010, 03:27:12 PM
No other OAC guys.  Johnson and Van Horn on 3rd team are the only other OH guys it looks like.  I was kind of pulling for Dan Jones, but he won the national Gold Glove at catcher so that's good.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 28, 2010, 04:54:23 PM
Here's a story about Ricky Lizcano.  Be sure to check out the audio of Coach Palm's interview with Chris Webb from Buckeye State Baseball at the end of the story too.

Lizcano story and Palm interview (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/05/28/lizcano-leading-the-way/)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 29, 2010, 09:09:58 AM
great win yesterday for the 'Berg!!!!!

chalk one up for the good guys...glad to see Coach Palm and the boys get the first one under the ir belt, now it's on to IWU :)  :)  :)  :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OACguy on June 07, 2010, 02:19:15 PM
Otterbein senior Brian Hiscox to be showcased on CBS' NCAA On Campus. Hiscox will be featured Monday evening, 8:30 p.m., on the CBS College Sports Network as part of its monthly "On Campus" program, highlighting college athletes and their unique stories.CBS College Sports network (DirecTV 613;  DISH 152, Cable--check local listings) will air the segment every Monday evening in June as well as the following dates: June 10 at noon, June 11 at 10:30 p.m., June 12 at 1:30 a.m., June 13 at 5:30 a.m., June 15 at 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., and June 16 at 9:30 a.m. In addition, the story will also be posted on facebook.com/oncampus, Youtube, and at ncaa.com and ncaa.org. To watch the episode, go to otterbein.edu/athletics or visit http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/ncaa/media+and+events/broadcasting/oncampus.html
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: JK on June 10, 2010, 09:58:11 AM
Haven't been on these boards for a while, but thought I would share this.  Four Capital recruits played in the OHSAA State tournament recently and had really good showings. 

http://www.capital.edu/29784/

Looks like Coach Grice is targeting quality kids from winning programs and is really trying to rebuild Capital baseball.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 10, 2010, 11:35:44 AM
Coach Grice hit the recruiting trail hard.  He barely had any time to recruit before last school year and he still managed to bring in 3 kids that ended up starting for him.  They have almost everyone back next season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see multiple freshmen starting again.  Hoying will be in the rotation for sure.  It's going to take a few years to build the depth, but he is definitely moving in the right direction.
Title: Coaching Changes
Post by: Gramps on August 11, 2010, 04:52:27 PM
Just posted on the Heidelberg website: New Asst Coach for hitters & Infield will be Shaun Pfeil, an alumni of W&J U, where he was an outstanding 3rd baseman. Check out his qualifications at:

http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/mbaseball/coachingstaff

Also added to the coaching staff is Keith Theis whose duties will be named at a later date.
Title: RIP
Post by: Gramps on September 28, 2010, 05:18:12 PM
On behalf of the Baseball Fans of The Berg, I'd like to extend our deepest sympathy to the family of "Coach Bendo" Bendekovic, an asst football coach at the Berg.  Coach Bendo was an ardent supporter of the baseball team and was seen at many games. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 29, 2010, 10:24:41 PM
Things are slow since it's the offseason.  Here's an interview with the new BW Head Coach Brian Harrison if you want a reason to think about spring already. 

Harrison interview (http://buckeyestatebaseball.com/2010/09/29/diii-welcome-to-the-oac-coach-harrison/)

Title: 2011 Pre-Season Poll
Post by: Gramps on December 24, 2010, 04:51:52 AM
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper has come out with the 1st BB Poll of the season and THE BERG  is the team with the target on it's back, ranked #1 in DIII Baseball.

http://www.baseballnews.com/polls/divIII/currentpolldiviii.htm

Above is a link to the CBN web site.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on February 26, 2011, 05:07:43 PM
Marietta has returned to the diamond after a longgggg winter, and they are looking good to start the season.

The  Pioneers defeated Maryville 5-0 behind a strong pitching performance by Sr. Mark Williams (8 IP, 9 K's, 2 bb's, 3 hits, 0 runs).

Junior Kirby Becker (2 hits & 3 runs scored), and Seniors Casey Levens (2 hits & 2 rbi) & John Snyder (2 hits & 2 rbi) led the offense.

The Etta Express is back in action this evening against Rhodes at 8pm, and takes on Emory tomorrow at 11:30am.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on February 27, 2011, 08:19:08 AM
MC (2-0) competed the day-long sweep with a 4-1 victory over Rhodes Saturday night in TENN.

Tim Saunders led off the game with a HR, and the Pioneers never trailed the rest of the way.  The Pitching was once again strong, as Austin Blaski had a good 1st outing (5 1/3 IP, 5 hits, 7 k's, 0 runs),  and closer Kyle Lindquist showed signs of great things to come this year (3 IP, 3 hits, 4 k's, 1 run).

Kirby Becker continued his great start by adding 3 more hits for the Etta Express.

Marietta finishes up their TENN trip with a game against Emory (GA) this morning at 11:30am.

LIVE stats & LIVE audio links provided below:

http://www.sidearmstats.com/rhodes/baseball/index.htm

http://wmoa1490.com/
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on February 27, 2011, 05:37:04 PM
Marietta (3-0) caps off their weekend with a 9-2 win over Emory.

Three games, and three strong starting performances by the Etta Express pitching staff.  Gasser did his part today with a line of 6 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 5 k's, 0 runs.

The story thus far for the Pioneers is definitely the experienced starting pitching staff:

Williams - 8 IP, 3 hits, 2 walks, 9 K's, 0 runs
Blaski - 5 1/3 IP, 5 hits, 2 walks, 7 k's, 0 runs
Gasser - 6 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 5 k's, 0 runs
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 07, 2011, 06:35:22 AM
Port Charlotte, Florida: And the beat goes on.... The Student Prince Baseball team continued their winning ways from last season with a 14-0 win over Mt St Joseph. With a sparkling 7 innings from Ethan Holt, 0 runs - 5 Hits - 5 SO And 1 inning each from Mitch Jones, and Fr. Zach O'Driscoll.
The hitting was also on a par with last season as THE BERG registered 20 on the Pop Meter with 10 players registering at least one hit. Multiple Hit guys were R. Lizcano, 4-5, G Keen, 3-6, D Andrzejczak, 3-5, E Williams, 2-6, W Brechun, 2-6, J Lash, 2-5 and one bingle each from A Monroe, Z Colatruglio, J Martin and J Rourke. Long balls were a double each for Lizcano and Andrzejczak and HRs, one each for Brechun and Lash.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on March 09, 2011, 03:30:55 PM
Thru 8 games,Etta's pitching has been pretty amazing. ERA of 0.51 and opponents BA of .161.
Is pitching deemed to be their strength or is this a pleasant surprise? I don't recall last years team having a dominant staff. So far they have been "lights out."
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 09, 2011, 06:07:10 PM
Quote from: old scot on March 09, 2011, 03:30:55 PM
Thru 8 games,Etta's pitching has been pretty amazing. ERA of 0.51 and opponents BA of .161.
Is pitching deemed to be their strength or is this a pleasant surprise? I don't recall last years team having a dominant staff. So far they have been "lights out."

the pitching staff has all returned from last year, and this was supposed to be ONE of the strong suits of this team....4 shut-outs so far is definitely surprising, but a combination of Williams, Blaski, and Gasser should be able to do GREAT things this year.

If they can stay healthy, the Marietta starting 3 will be very tough to beat when the post-season rolls around in a weekend tournament format.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 10, 2011, 08:37:18 AM
THE BERG is now 4-0 with a 7-3 win over Bluffton.

Highlights:

Sly Nino          7 Innings     5 Hits     3 Runs      5 SO
B Stucky         2 Innings     2 Hits     3 SO

Hitting:

G Keen 3-4, 2 Runs; W Brechun 2-3, 1 Run; J Lash 1-4, 1 RBI, 2 Runs;
Z Colatruglio 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 Run; J Martin 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 Run
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: macdade77 on March 10, 2011, 01:18:09 PM
Gramps,
Sly Nino was my son's High School team mate. Please offer him my congratulations for his fine outing today. Just tell him it came from "Mac Daddy".
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 10, 2011, 08:56:43 PM
" Mac Daddy",

Sly is a fine young man and a credit to his past mentors, not  only on the field but off it too. I'll be sure to pass on your congrats tomorrow when I see him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 11, 2011, 11:58:57 PM
THE BERG treated Coach Palm to his 350th victory with a 9-1 win over Kenyon College. Freshman Zach O'Driscoll got his 1st start and 1st win.

Highlights:
Z O'Driscoll 6 Inn 6 Hits 1 Run 1 SO
T Fruhwirth 1 Inn 1 Hit 1 SO
R Pruitt 1 Inn 1 Hit 2 SO
Teddy Lowe 1 Inn 1 Hit 2 SO

AWESOME DEFENSE 3 DPs

Hitting:
E Williams 3-5. 1 Run; J Lash 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 Run; A Monroe 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 Run; D Andrzejczak 2-4, 2 RBI, 1 Run;G Keen 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 Run; W Brechun 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 Run.

Extra Bases: J Lash 2 Dbles; G Keen, 1 Dbl
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 12, 2011, 01:59:03 PM
Mount has taken it on the chin in Florida, going 2-5 so far (they play 2 today) including blowing a 13-4 lead in the 7th and losing 16-14  they are trying a freshman experiment......
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2011, 07:18:52 PM
Quote from: Tinman on March 12, 2011, 01:59:03 PM
Mount has taken it on the chin in Florida, going 2-5 so far (they play 2 today) including blowing a 13-4 lead in the 7th and losing 16-14  they are trying a freshman experiment......

2 more losses to finish 2-7.  5-4 and 7-4.  The sad thing is that second game was the most they lost by all trip.  Hopefully those youngsters mature and they can win some of these close games otherwise it may be a looong season. 

In other news, Ferrell still rakes. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 12, 2011, 09:02:30 PM
Ethan Holt gains win #2 and THE BERG goes 6-0 with a big test 3-2 win over Rhodes.

Highlights:
Ethan Holt       7 Inn     4 Hits     2 Runs     4 SO
Andy Lowe      2 Inn     0 Hits     0 Runs     1 SO

Hitting:
R Lizcano 2-4, 1 Run; J Lash 2-4, 1 Run; E Williams  1-3; G Keen 1-2;
W Brechun 2 RBIs; D Andrzejczak 1 RBI

Extra Bases:
R Lizcano 1 Dbl; J Lash 1 Dbl
GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 12, 2011, 11:02:50 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2011, 07:18:52 PM
Quote from: Tinman on March 12, 2011, 01:59:03 PM
Mount has taken it on the chin in Florida, going 2-5 so far (they play 2 today) including blowing a 13-4 lead in the 7th and losing 16-14  they are trying a freshman experiment......

2 more losses to finish 2-7.  5-4 and 7-4.  The sad thing is that second game was the most they lost by all trip.  Hopefully those youngsters mature and they can win some of these close games otherwise it may be a looong season. 

In other news, Ferrell still rakes. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 12, 2011, 11:09:37 PM
no they dropped a 7-0 during the week also, they have some very talented freshmen, but this has been the least spring wins by the team in 4 years
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 13, 2011, 08:23:00 AM
Marietta finished strong on their Spring Trip with a doubleheader sweep up Central Region powerhouse Carthage.

The Etta Express retunrs north with a 10-1 record, and an even more impressive team ERA under One!!  This could be a team poised to make some noise not only in the OAC, but also a deep tournament run when late May rolls around.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on March 13, 2011, 10:12:45 AM
It is to bad we will have to wait a month to see the Pios and Student Princes battle. It seems like the OAC will be a two horse race.

They could be two of the best teams in the country but, only one will make it out of the Mid East region.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2011, 02:48:34 PM
Quote from: Tinman on March 12, 2011, 11:09:37 PM
no they dropped a 7-0 during the week also, they have some very talented freshmen, but this has been the least spring wins by the team in 4 years

Oops...I blew right past that 7-0 game.  My fault on that!

They're starting freshmen all over the place.  SS, C, OF, 1B, starting pitchers.  Hopefully it pays off down the road, but this could be a down year for wins.

What's going on with Kyle Von Duyke and Jake DeLuca?  I thought they'd at least get some AB's down south.  Von Duyke seemed like their best option at DH last season and I know they were high on DeLuca. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2011, 02:50:23 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on March 13, 2011, 08:23:00 AM
Marietta finished strong on their Spring Trip with a doubleheader sweep up Central Region powerhouse Carthage.

The Etta Express retunrs north with a 10-1 record, and an even more impressive team ERA under One!!  This could be a team poised to make some noise not only in the OAC, but also a deep tournament run when late May rolls around.

Etta/Berg is going to be epic.  I wish we could make that a best of 7 series or something!  Who wouldn't want to watch that?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 13, 2011, 09:39:33 PM
THE BERG extended it's win streak to 8 with a 5-2 victory over Montclair State and a 15-5 win over Utica.
Game #1
Highlights:
B Koehl 7 Inn 5 Hits 2 Runs 6 SO - Win # 2
A Lowe 2 Inn 0 Hits 0 Runs 2 SO Save # 3
Hitting:
W Brechun 4-5, 1 Run; J Lash 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 Run;
and 1 Hit each - A Monroe, G Keen, D Andrzejczak,
Z Colatruglio, A Buelow, J Martin
Extra Bases: Dbl Ea. A Monroe, J Lash

Game # 2
Highlights: Inn H R SO
T Fruhwirth 5 6 4 4 Win # 1
R Pruitt 1 1 0 1
D Brannum 1 0 0 0
B Stucky .1 0 0 0
M Jones .2 0 0 0
T Lowe 1 2 1 1
Hitting: RBI R
R Lizcano 4-4 1 1
J Lash3-4 3 2
A Monroe 3-4 3 1
Z Colatruglio 2-3 1
G Keen 2-5 3 2
1 Hit Ea. A Zinczak, W Brechun, D Andrzejczak, A Buelow
Extra Bases:

1 DBL R Lizcano, G Keen
2 DBLs A Monroe, J Lash
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 15, 2011, 08:53:16 PM
The number of BERG wins has risen to a "High Water Mark" of 10 with a win over SUNY Plattsburgh by a 4-0 score.
AWESOME! Their most wins after a spring break.

The shutout is courtesy of "Sly" Nino (7 Inn, 4 Hits,, 0 Runs, 8 SO - WIN # 2) and Zach O'Driscoll (2 Inn, 1 Hit, 0 Run, 1 SO - SAVE # 1)

Top Hitters: W Brechun 2-3, 1 RBI; R Lizcano 2-4, 2 RBI; A Buelow 2-2, 2 RBI; and hits by A Monroe, G Keen, & Z Colatruglio.

Extra Bases: DBLs by R Lizcano & G Keen.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 16, 2011, 05:33:55 PM
Congratulations to THE BERG's 2nd baseman Gar Keen on being named the OAC "Hitter of the Week".  Gar has been hitting lights out down in Florida and is very deserving of the award.

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 17, 2011, 08:56:49 AM
Glad to hear it Gramps, I hope to catch a game when The Student Princes are in Central Ohio.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 17, 2011, 10:26:42 AM
Quote from: ManoCooper on March 17, 2011, 08:56:49 AM
Glad to hear it Gramps, I hope to catch a game when The Student Princes are in Central Ohio.

ManoCooper, welcome to the boards. Be glad to have you and your son at one of our games. Stop by and say hello and we'll talk some baseball.

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 17, 2011, 10:40:25 AM
Hoping to work it out. Depends on his baseball schedule and rain outs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 17, 2011, 10:28:16 PM
Mount Drops one to Walsh 7-4 they score three in the final innings but the comeback falls short.  worst start in years 2-8
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2011, 08:58:01 AM
Quote from: Tinman on March 17, 2011, 10:28:16 PM
Mount Drops one to Walsh 7-4 they score three in the final innings but the comeback falls short.  worst start in years 2-8

The discouraging thing is that their M.O. has been to start off hot and then crash toward the end of the season.  I'm afraid to think what's possible when they come out of the gate at 2-8.  The only good news appears to be that after the big 2 the OAC appears to be down a little this year.  I just don't know if it's down enough to keep them out of the bottom 3.  There isn't a single team in the conference that I feel like MUC SHOULD sweep.  Not saying they can't or won't, but should.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin2 on March 18, 2011, 10:37:23 AM
I haven't been on in awhile but I have seen the start (not in person but online) and the only way I can see a positive in a 2-8 start is that they finally started over.  It is clear they are playing a bunch of freshman but they may also be the best player at that position right now.  Maybe it is a build towards the future and instead of being around .500 year after year after year but we wont know that until down the road.  However, given the consistency of mediocrity in the past perhaps Mr. Kerhres will no longer be so patient with Hesse given that programs such as Women's BBall, VBall and Track & Field have also had postseason success.

Who know's... just some thoughts

Hopefully my work schedule will allow me to get to some games this season
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 19, 2011, 08:47:30 PM
THE BERG suffered their first defeat of the young season by a 2-1 score in a 10 inning affair at Adrian, MI. The game was supposed to be played at Peaceful Valley buI due to last weeks flood, the field was unplayable.
The two teams will meet again Sun. at 1:00PM.


GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 20, 2011, 05:18:29 PM
The Etta Express improves to 13-1 and extends their winning streak to 9 with a sweep of the Southeast Ohio Invitational this weekend.

Maryville - 4
Marietta - 8

Piedmont - 5
Marietta - 7

Thiel - 0
Marietta - 2


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2011, 05:28:37 PM
Bad feeling this is shaping up to be a 2 team race in a big way this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2011, 05:30:26 PM
MUC sweeps Wittenberg yesterday.  Great pitching from Smith and Lambert.  Raiders are 4-8 now with Walsh and Hiram next week before OAC play starts at Wilmington.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 20, 2011, 08:42:10 PM
Heidelberg reversed the scenario from Sat and scored a run in the 10th inning to break a 1-1 tie and win 2-1 over Adrian. Jason Lash scored on a passed ball and Andy Lowe finished the Adrian batsmen 1-2-3 for his first WIN of the young season.
Brian Koehl pitched an outstanding game which featured 10 SOs.

Top Hitters:
R Lizcano 2-3, 1 RBI; D Adrzejczak 2-4; A Buelow 2-5. 1 Run: and 1 Hit Each by G Keen, W Brechun and A Monroe.


GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 22, 2011, 07:27:06 PM
THE BERG suffers their second loss of the season as they fall to Wittenberg by a score of 3-1. Their bats were held in check by a combination of five pitchers. THE BERG had many opportunities to score, as they stranded 10 runners.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 25, 2011, 05:12:50 PM
The Case field is not playable and the Sat DH will be played at Peaceful Valley in Tiffin starting at Noon. Also, the regular scheduled game for Sun. will be played at Tiffin beginning at 1:00 PM.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 28, 2011, 12:47:24 AM
It was a 3 game sweep of a hot Case Western Reserve team at Pleasant Valley over the weekend as THE BERG unleashed it's potent hitting machine. All of the regulars participated.

Heidelberg travels to Granville, Ohio for a matchup with Denison on Wed at 4:00 PM and entertains Ohio Weslyan in Tiffin on Thurs at 4:00 PM.


GO BERG!!!!
   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 28, 2011, 11:17:00 AM
The weather has pushed Muc's home opener back to this Tuesday, then a home
make up game against Walsh Wednesday
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin2 on March 29, 2011, 07:24:00 PM
Went over to MUC today to watch Mount Union take on Hiram in the home opener and made some observations about the purple raiders.

1.  Greg Ferrell was not in the lineup today and I asked some people I knew why this was the case and was informed that today was the first day of a six game suspension.  I also found out that Cody Colly was suspended for two starts.  Apparently there was an issue off the field and this is why.  I don't want to go into all the details on here but from what I know it was not them directly involved but since they were voted captains they took the brunt of the punishment handed down by the AD.  Seems to be a lot of internal turmoil as well.

2.  Discipline is once again lacking.  Sloppy defensive throws even if they didn't lead to errors.  Poor base running choices.  Throwing helmets and bats.  Same stuff different year.  I can't say I am surprised. 

3.  I don't think that the good talent that is there is ever going to develop further.  I coached in the fall league there and had two of the four freshman they started today.  Neither look like they are any better today than they were 6 months ago.  The same can be said for Craig Knott.  Still the same player he was 2 years ago.  Development has not occurred.

Long story short I think it is going to be a very long year in Alliance.  They lost Hiram today in a poorly played ball game.  If you cant beat Hiram in your schedule it is going to be a very long year.  Would be shocked if they won tomorrow or in the 2 conference games on Saturday.  It is disappointing but I think this is the reality.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2011, 08:47:30 PM
Losing to Hiram is not a good sign.  Especially when you threw your #2 and 3 starters at them and the Terriers made 4 errors.

The suspensions are concerning.  I mean honestly if you said 'We have to suspend 2 kids, who can't it be?' those are the 2.  By far your best hitter and your ace.  There's no way they beat Etta without those 2.  No chance.  Etta's staff and MUC's lineup minus Ferrell is gonna be ugly.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 29, 2011, 10:38:49 PM
Went to the MUC fiasco today, The freshmen experiment isn't working that I can see, Hiram was coming of a two game loss to Kenyon with a combined score of 29-5 on sunday.  I see some decent freshmen/high school level talent but they need to learn how to play at the next level.  If the staff feel they will ride these guys and let this season be the changing of the guard, that does not show much respect for the upperclass men who have had 3 differnt coaching staffs over the last 4 years.  The three senior Captains (Coly,Ferrel, Wood) have their work cut out for them to keep things together on the bench. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin2 on March 29, 2011, 11:39:24 PM
Quote from: Tinman on March 29, 2011, 10:38:49 PM
If the staff feel they will ride these guys and let this season be the changing of the guard, that does not show much respect for the upperclass men who have had 3 differnt coaching staffs over the last 4 years.  The three senior Captains (Coly,Ferrel, Wood) have their work cut out for them to keep things together on the bench. 

I completely understand the argument especially when it comes to respecting those who have had your back for a significant portion of their careers, but if that is the case when does that argument end?  Is it perpetual until Hesse is fired or resigns?  And if that is the case wont the results on the field always be the same.  Mediocre record, etc, etc.  I dont know what the answer is or even how to stomach what appears to be going on to some of the upperclassmen but maybe Hesse has been put on notice by his boss and that is his motivation.  Then again maybe he is clueless.  Who knows... All I know it is frustrating being an alumni.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 30, 2011, 12:54:53 AM
no doubt there is pressure, you can't have a 15 year run of .500 ball and not be asked to step things up, let alone with a football team with a ten year .900 winning percentage.  I don't know if it is a talent problem or modivation issue, but I see a lot of talent riding the pine, or in the stands. I hope the plan comes clear with the upcoming conference games
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 30, 2011, 01:00:29 PM
"I cannot get rid of the hurt from losing, but after the last out of every loss, I must accept that there will be a tomorrow. In fact, it's more than there'll be a tomorrow, it's that I want there to be a tomorrow. That's the big difference, I want tomorrow to come." Sparky Anderson.....

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 30, 2011, 05:57:58 PM
Heidelberg vs Denison suspended after !/2 Inning, Too much snow.  No makeup scheduled as per web site.  


GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on March 30, 2011, 07:30:22 PM
Muc Walsh game moved to Friday 4pm
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on March 31, 2011, 01:00:51 AM
Etta Express is currently 14-2 with a tough road game tomorrow at W and J. They remained #4 this week and are nationalls rakned #1 in ERA with a 1.59 at the moment. The hitting is starting to come around with an 11-2 victory over Montclair State where they knocked out 16 hits and ran wild on the bases. Conference opener this saturday at Baldwin Wallace
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 01, 2011, 09:07:38 PM
The Marietta-Baldwin Wallace doubleheader has been moved to Sunday due to the forecast of rain in Berea.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 02, 2011, 12:34:37 AM
Kenworth, I see that this is your 1st trip to the message board. A great big WELCOME from Gramps. May your team have a good season. Happy bloging.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 02, 2011, 04:39:41 AM
Thanks Gramps, been watching your posts for some time now.  Its great to see such an avid supporter of their grandkids? and team.  Your team has enjoyed much success in the last few years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2011, 08:51:31 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 01, 2011, 09:07:38 PM
The Marietta-Baldwin Wallace doubleheader has been moved to Sunday due to the forecast of rain in Berea.

I just went outside and it's ugly here in Columbus too.  Wonder if this is going to be the trend today around the OAC. 

Welcome aboard Kenworth.  +k
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2011, 08:55:50 AM
Just hopped on Twitter and looks like the Berg/Musky DH has also been pushed to tomorrow. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 02, 2011, 11:54:54 AM
Mount and Wilmington pushed back one day also
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 03, 2011, 10:50:41 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 01, 2011, 09:07:38 PM
The Marietta-Baldwin Wallace doubleheader has been moved to Sunday due to the forecast of rain in Berea.
The doubleheader now has been moved to Monday, according to forecast not much chance of it being played on Monday either.  April weather. :(
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 03, 2011, 06:19:57 PM
Heidelberg takes two from Muskingum today at New Concord both games scored 10-3
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 04, 2011, 12:33:23 AM
THE BERG took a trip to New Concord today and came away with two (2) 10-3 victories over the Fish.
GAME 1:
Ethan Holt turned in a 2 Run, 4 Hit, 5 SO affair for W #4, assisted by the Lowe Brothers, Teddy and Andy.

Hitting was led by W Brechun 3-5, 5 RBIs, 1 Run; ably aided by A Monroe, J Lash, D Andrzejczak, & A Buelow with 2 hits each and R Lizcano, G Keen & J Martin with 1 hit each.
EXTRA BASES: HRs by Brechun & Buelow and Dbls by Brechun & Andrzejczak.
GAME 2:
B Koehl threw an AWESOME 9 Inning, 3 Run, 7 Hitter with 11 SO for W # 4.

Top Hitters were J Lash 4-5, 2 RBIs, 2 Runs, A Buelow 3-5, 3 RBIs; W Brechun 3-5, 1 RBI, 2 Run: R Lizcano 2-6, 2 RBIs, 2 Run; A Monroe 2-4, 3 Runs; D Andrzejczak 2-4, 1 RBI.
EXTRA BASES: 2 HRs by R Lizcano and DBLs: 1 by A Monroe and 2 by J Lash
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 04, 2011, 08:35:18 AM
Marietta at Baldwin-Wallace postponed once again till Wednesday. :( :(
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 04, 2011, 08:38:56 AM
Marietta pitching staff will indeed get a test if all the scheduled games take place this week.  7 games in 5 days-6 of them OAC games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 04, 2011, 11:54:53 AM
Mount has managed to get a few wins with the Freshmen experiment.  They have got to get rid of the errors before facing the stronger OAC teams. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 04, 2011, 05:59:26 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 04, 2011, 08:38:56 AM
Marietta pitching staff will indeed get a test if all the scheduled games take place this week.  7 games in 5 days-6 of them OAC games.

it'll be like the good 'ol days in Panama City when we played 16 games in 9 days. :)

they should be alright.  The guys who go Tues can come back on Sat (most likely Williams & Gasser)...and the Wed guys will be in relief on Sat (Blaski & others).  The Wooster game on Thurs will just be a johnny-wholestaff effort, hopefully the bats are ready to score at least 8 runs against the Scots.

Like always though, the league games are what matters at this point in the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 04, 2011, 08:12:12 PM
Will soon see who is a fourth starter, Levens injury still nagging or is he able to return this week?  Intra-district games are still important to win. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin2 on April 05, 2011, 07:29:38 AM
Quote from: Tinman on April 04, 2011, 11:54:53 AM
Mount has managed to get a few wins with the Freshmen experiment.  They have got to get rid of the errors before facing the stronger OAC teams. 

Tinman maybe you can shed some light on this.... Have the errors disappeared because of a shift in focus and philosophy or is it a statistical streak that has netted some wins?

I'm not shocked that better defense has led to more wins... seems to be the new formula all over baseball not just OAC baseball
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 05, 2011, 09:00:06 AM
Marietta-Mount Union postponed for today according to the Marietta website. :(
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 05, 2011, 09:35:49 AM
Marietta-Mount Union rescheduled for Thursday.  Marietta Wooster will be moved also no date posted yet. Marietta-Baldwin Wallace scheduled for Wed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 05, 2011, 07:34:34 PM
Baldwin-Wallace and Otterbein split a doubleheader today in Berea   Ott 8-2 in the opener and BW 7-6 in the second game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 06, 2011, 08:53:43 PM
Update---Marietta now has a schedule consisting of 3 doubleheaders in 3 days   Thurs BW       Fri Mount      Sat Ohio Northern
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 07, 2011, 08:02:08 PM
Marietta over Baldwin-Wallace two times today at Berea.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 07, 2011, 08:09:32 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 07, 2011, 08:02:08 PM
Marietta over Baldwin-Wallace two times today at Berea.

great start to a longggg week.

Gasser throws a no-hitter in the first game; the 20th in Etta Express history.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 08, 2011, 04:12:42 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 05, 2011, 09:35:49 AM
Marietta-Mount Union rescheduled for Thursday.  Marietta Wooster will be moved also no date posted yet. Marietta-Baldwin Wallace scheduled for Wed.

Looks like the makeup date is May 1 at Wooster. That's right after the NCAC tournament. Marietta has a conference DH the day before, so this looks a battle of mid-rotation starters at best.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 08, 2011, 06:48:59 AM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on April 08, 2011, 04:12:42 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 05, 2011, 09:35:49 AM
Marietta-Mount Union rescheduled for Thursday.  Marietta Wooster will be moved also no date posted yet. Marietta-Baldwin Wallace scheduled for Wed.

Looks like the makeup date is May 1 at Wooster. That's right after the NCAC tournament. Marietta has a conference DH the day before, so this looks a battle of mid-rotation starters at best.

If you have followed D3 baseball for very long you would know that it's almost always a battle of mid-week starters when these powerhouses play during the regular season....nothing new.  With the weather as bad as it is, and the limited amount of time to get games in around conference requirements, Wooster & Marietta usually end up meeting and throwing johnny wholestaff at each other.

I wouldn't be surpside at all if this game never gets played.  There is a lot of time between now and May 1st to have plenty more league rainouts to make-up.

The Regionals is where the fun begins with the Big Guns on the mound...everyone knows that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: fundamentalswin2 on April 08, 2011, 09:43:01 AM
Mount and Etta Postponed today via Mount Website not reschedule date has been posted yet
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 08, 2011, 10:24:56 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 08, 2011, 06:48:59 AM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on April 08, 2011, 04:12:42 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 05, 2011, 09:35:49 AM
Marietta-Mount Union rescheduled for Thursday.  Marietta Wooster will be moved also no date posted yet. Marietta-Baldwin Wallace scheduled for Wed.

Looks like the makeup date is May 1 at Wooster. That's right after the NCAC tournament. Marietta has a conference DH the day before, so this looks a battle of mid-rotation starters at best.

If you have followed D3 baseball for very long you would know that it's almost always a battle of mid-week starters when these powerhouses play during the regular season....nothing new.  With the weather as bad as it is, and the limited amount of time to get games in around conference requirements, Wooster & Marietta usually end up meeting and throwing johnny wholestaff at each other.

I wouldn't be surpside at all if this game never gets played.  There is a lot of time between now and May 1st to have plenty more league rainouts to make-up.

The Regionals is where the fun begins with the Big Guns on the mound...everyone knows that.

I've been following the game for going on 20 years. I remember when these two teams only played in the regionals.

Usually it seems like Wooster has the edge in pitching in this matchup because of a weaker conference and the 4-game series that let them plan a little differently. But this year, it could actually end up being a better matchup than it usually is. #3 vs. #4 or something along that line, depending on how much pitching Wooster goes through. It's odd to have a game the day after the end of a conference tournament. Even in the regular season, the round robin DH schedule the NCAC has now really changes the landscape in that league, IMO for the better.

Lot of season to go though, as you say.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 08, 2011, 01:59:46 PM
THE BERG is now at 20-4 with 2 OAC wins over JCU yesterday by a 2-0 score in game 1 and a 11-2 finish in game 2.

The defense played a huge role in game one with 2 DPs and key inning ending plays with runners in scoring position. In game 2, THE BERG unleashed their powerful bats as they tatooed 19 hits for 11 runs.

Next up for THE BERG is an OAC DH with Wilmington this Sat at Pleasant Valley.


GO BERG!!!!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 08, 2011, 09:31:29 PM
Marietta Updated Schedule weather permitting

Thurs-Baldwin Wallace-2 wins
Sat-Ohio Northern-doubleheader
Sun-Mount Union-doubleheader
Mon-La Roche-doubleheader
Wed-Capital-doubleheader
Sat-Heidelberg-doubleheader

12 games--10 days make or break
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 09, 2011, 08:10:54 AM
FYI:Here is the website for the archieved videos from the DH at John Carrol 4/7/11. Due to technical problems, both games are only partially covered, but it shows that the videos can be done on a local level and is a good way to follow your team when work interfeers: http://www.ustream.tv/user/JCUSports/videos

These are the games between Heidelberg and John Carrol. Isn't technology great, it makes you wonder, why can't all of the D3 schools do the same thing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 09, 2011, 10:59:26 PM
Muc threw their aces trying for a sweep of Musky and barely got a split now they have Marietta tomorrow it might get ugly
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 10, 2011, 07:29:14 AM
Quote from: Tinman on April 09, 2011, 10:59:26 PM
Muc threw their aces trying for a sweep of Musky and barely got a split now they have Marietta tomorrow it might get ugly


The Etta Express swept visiting Ohio Northern to stay undefeated in OAC action.  They look to keep it going again MUC, as they continue their 10 games in 7 days journey :)

Marietta's pitching situation:

Thurs
Gasser - 7 IP
Blaski - 6 IP
Williams - 1 IP
Lindquist - 2 IP

Sat
Williams - 5 IP
Lindquist - 2 IP
Levens - 6 IP
Emling - 3 IP

Looks like Marietta will be using end of the rotation guys today, and maybe Blaski & Gasser for an inning or two apiece.  Linquist could also get a good chunk of innings if needed....then he could have some rest until needed again on Wed & next Sat in conferecne games.

Tomorrow's non-conference DH with LaRoche will be a patch-work job by the pitching staff.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 07:40:10 AM
Long range weather predictions didn't look good for Heidelberg weekend.  Still a long way off and weathermen do not have the best batting average sometimes. :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 07:51:56 AM
Mideastfan--I think there are still plenty of quality pitchers just waiting for the opportunity to show their stuff.  Sophomore and Freshmen pitchers have not had the opportunity just yet with the quality starts of the top four pitchers and relievers that have been used thus far.  Don't be surprised if someone doesn't step up and take advantage of the games on Monday weather permitting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 10, 2011, 01:25:19 PM
The offense of THE BERG exploaded yesterday as their bevy of batters pounded the Quakers of Wilmington for 31 hits in a DH at Peaceful Valley.

GAME 1 - 15-3
Ethan Holt earned Win #5 with a 4 inning, 1 Hit, 1 Run outing. He was aided by one inning stints from B Stucky, Fr B Kaminski (I believe his first varsity action) and M Jones,
BIG HITTERS were J Lash 3-3, 3 RBIs, 2 Runs; A Buelow 2-3  2 RBIs, 2 Runs; R Lizcano 2-2, 3 Runs; A Monroe 1-2. 3 RBIs, 2 Runs:; A Squibb 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 Run; D Andrzejczak 2-3. 1 RBI, 1 Run
EXTRA BASES: HR J Lash;  3B A Monroe;  DBL A Buelow 2
GAME 2 - 11-3
Brian Koehl picked up Win # 5 with a 6.2 inning, 5 Hit, 2 Run, 6 SO affair. Helping out  were R Pruitt, D Brannum, and A Lowe. Lowe picked up Save # 9.
All of the position players contributed at least one hit. Having 3 Hits were Lizcano, Keen and Lash; 2 Hits - Monroe, Brechun and Squibb; and 1 Hit each from Andrzejczak, Buelow and Martin.
EXTRA BASES: HR - Lizcano, Andrzejczak   DBL Brechun

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 10, 2011, 03:30:06 PM
Marietta takes game one against Mount Union 10-9 in extra innings(9) with a strong wind OUT blowing in Alliance.

This game never wanted to end as MUC kept coming back, led by Ferrell, but eventually Marietta was a little too much for the Purple Raider offense.

Maheffey started and threw well, but as he gave way to Lindquist the runs started piling up.  Blaski eventually had to finish it off, although he struggled a bit too.

GAME TWO coming up in a few....
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 10, 2011, 06:48:17 PM
Muc goes down big in the second game 17-2 Etta just too much to overcome with such a young team
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 10, 2011, 06:57:50 PM
Mount had their opportunities to take game one They really came back nicely,
some poor baserunning choices cost them.  Having the 3rd base coach try to show up his pitcher didn't help.  After throwing up a late stop sign as the runner is passing him, well after Carlino was out at the plate, he was still posing with the "stop" sign with noone on third I guess it was to make a point that it wasn't his fault....
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 10, 2011, 07:40:08 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 10, 2011, 07:29:14 AM
Quote from: Tinman on April 09, 2011, 10:59:26 PM
Muc threw their aces trying for a sweep of Musky and barely got a split now they have Marietta tomorrow it might get ugly


The Etta Express swept visiting Ohio Northern to stay undefeated in OAC action.  They look to keep it going again MUC, as they continue their 10 games in 7 days journey :)

Marietta's pitching situation:

Thurs
Gasser - 7 IP
Blaski - 6 IP
Williams - 1 IP
Lindquist - 2 IP

Sat
Williams - 5 IP
Lindquist - 2 IP
Levens - 6 IP
Emling - 3 IP

Looks like Marietta will be using end of the rotation guys today, and maybe Blaski & Gasser for an inning or two apiece.  Linquist could also get a good chunk of innings if needed....then he could have some rest until needed again on Wed & next Sat in conferecne games.

Tomorrow's non-conference DH with LaRoche will be a patch-work job by the pitching staff.

Any guesses on pitching for an important regional DH against a LaRoche team that didn't pitch its ERA leader over the weekend?

Seems Marietta might have learned something about itself this weekend. The down the line starters performed much better than the recycled top guys.

With another conference DH on Wednesday, it's not even as if they can just throw the best of what they have left. Should be interesting to see what they piece together and whether it can do the job.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 09:17:32 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 09:14:27 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 08, 2011, 09:31:29 PM
Marietta Updated Schedule weather permitting

Thurs-Baldwin Wallace-2 wins
Sat-Ohio Northern-2 wins(1 tough one)
Sun-Mount Union-2 wins (1 tough one)
Mon-La Roche-doubleheader
Wed-Capital-doubleheader
Sat-Heidelberg-doubleheader

Great starting pitching today at Mount Union  Mike Mahaffey in the first game and Logan Lewis in the second.  Neither pitcher showed any rust and battled the Mount hitters all game.  Great Job.

12 games--10 days make or break
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 11, 2011, 08:10:34 AM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on April 10, 2011, 07:40:08 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 10, 2011, 07:29:14 AM
Quote from: Tinman on April 09, 2011, 10:59:26 PM
Muc threw their aces trying for a sweep of Musky and barely got a split now they have Marietta tomorrow it might get ugly


The Etta Express swept visiting Ohio Northern to stay undefeated in OAC action.  They look to keep it going again MUC, as they continue their 10 games in 7 days journey :)

Marietta's pitching situation:

Thurs
Gasser - 7 IP
Blaski - 6 IP
Williams - 1 IP
Lindquist - 2 IP

Sat
Williams - 5 IP
Lindquist - 2 IP
Levens - 6 IP
Emling - 3 IP

Looks like Marietta will be using end of the rotation guys today, and maybe Blaski & Gasser for an inning or two apiece.  Linquist could also get a good chunk of innings if needed....then he could have some rest until needed again on Wed & next Sat in conferecne games.

Tomorrow's non-conference DH with LaRoche will be a patch-work job by the pitching staff.

Any guesses on pitching for an important regional DH against a LaRoche team that didn't pitch its ERA leader over the weekend?

Seems Marietta might have learned something about itself this weekend. The down the line starters performed much better than the recycled top guys.

With another conference DH on Wednesday, it's not even as if they can just throw the best of what they have left. Should be interesting to see what they piece together and whether it can do the job.

I'm guessing Gasser will start a game and go a couple innings, so he can be fresh for Wed's conference DH.  The other innings will probably be eaten up by a combination of the end of the roation guys...but who knows.  Levens is probably available for a few innings as well.

This DH is in-region, as you said, but not even close to as important as the conf games.  Marietta has played well enough to this point, where they can afford to save pitching for conf games & not turn these non-conference in-region games into"must win" situations.  BTW, all the conf games are also in-region games, so by winning those MArietta is increasing their in-region resume.

I think MC and HEID have already locked up pool C bids regardless of which one of them wins the OAC tournament in a month.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 11, 2011, 07:49:40 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 09:17:32 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 09:14:27 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 08, 2011, 09:31:29 PM
Marietta Updated Schedule weather permitting

Thurs-Baldwin Wallace-2 wins
Sat-Ohio Northern-2 wins(1 tough one)
Sun-Mount Union-2 wins (1 tough one)
Mon-La Roche-doubleheader rained out no make up date yet
Wed-Capital-doubleheader
Sat-Heidelberg-doubleheader

Great starting pitching today at Mount Union  Mike Mahaffey in the first game and Logan Lewis in the second.  Neither pitcher showed any rust and battled the Mount hitters all game.  Great Job.

12 games--10 days make or break
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2011, 10:29:46 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 11, 2011, 08:10:34 AM
I think MC and HEID have already locked up pool C bids regardless of which one of them wins the OAC tournament in a month.

Agreed.  At this point it seems like it's basically just who will have another trophy for the case.  I would be beyond shocked if those two don't meet in the conference tournament championship.  They just seem to be vastly superior to the rest of the conference this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2011, 10:35:29 PM
Quote from: Tinman on April 10, 2011, 06:48:17 PM
Muc goes down big in the second game 17-2 Etta just too much to overcome with such a young team


Emotionally down after a tough loss and Etta hangs a 7 spot in the top of the 1st of game 2.  It was all downhill from there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 12, 2011, 08:17:29 AM
It was a shame, they rallied several times in the first game; but appeared to be hang dogged after Etta came out strong in the second game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 13, 2011, 09:11:09 AM
Weather forecast for Tiffin Saturday took a turn for the worse, rain predictions now at 90% for Saturday and 40% on Sunday with highs in the high 40s to low 50s.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 13, 2011, 05:38:26 PM
Results from Ada:

Heidelberg 2, Ohio Northern 1
Ohio Northern 1, Heidelberg 0
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 13, 2011, 05:40:06 PM
looks like HEID tried to save pitchers for this weekend against Marietta and ended up dropping one, and coming very close to being swept by ONU.  Too bad their bats didn't show up or else they could've easily gotten away with it.


Marietta is taking care of Capital today, and started Gasser in game one, and BLaski in game two.  They got big enough leads thanks to their bats, that they were able to lift both starters after a few innings....they should be ready for HEID whenever they end up playing based on threatning rain storms.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on April 13, 2011, 05:48:06 PM
Looks like the Berg was looking ahead. Very unlike them, they normally take care of business.

Go get em this weekend Etta!!!!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 13, 2011, 09:23:12 PM
Current OAC standings:

Marietta 8-0 (23-2)
Heidelberg 7-1 (23-5)
Otterbein 3-3 (11-11)
Mount Union 4-4 (10-13)
John Carroll 3-3 (9-13)
Capital 4-4 (8-14)
Wilmington 2-4 (7-12)
Ohio Northern 2-6 (15-11)
Baldwin-Wallace 2-6 (14-11)
Muskingum 1-5 (8-15)


This info is sooo easy to find now with the new website layout.....things have come so far in the last 10 years for D3 baseball fans.  I remember the days of the original Yahoo Group for "D3 baseball" with Jim Dixon.  Jim and the guys have done a great service to D3 sports with their work over the years; culminating in this great website & forums.  Much thanks!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 14, 2011, 07:39:47 AM
THE BERG split with ONU taking Game #1, 2-1 and losing Game #2, 1-0.
Game #1
N James worked 5.2 Inn with 4 Hits and 5 SO for WIN #4. A Lowe got Save #10.
J Martin led the Hitters going 1-3, with 2 RBIs. Contributing with a Hit each were R Lizcano, W Brechun, J Lash, A Squibb, and A Buelow.
Extra Bases: DBLs-R Lizcano, J Lash, J Martin
Game #2
S Nino went 6.1 Inn with 1 Run, 5 Hits and 10 SO. A Lowe 1.2 Inn, 1 Hit.
Hitters were A Buelow 2-3, A Monroe 2-5 with 1 Hit each from J Lash and D Andrzejczak.
Extra Bases: DBL A Buelow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 14, 2011, 09:51:01 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 11, 2011, 07:49:40 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 09:17:32 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 09:14:27 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 08, 2011, 09:31:29 PM
Marietta Updated Schedule weather permitting

Thurs-Baldwin Wallace-2 wins
Sat-Ohio Northern-2 wins(1 tough one)
Sun-Mount Union-2 wins (1 tough one)
Mon-La Roche-doubleheader rained out no make up date yet
Wed-Capital-2 wins
Sat-Heidelberg-doubleheader



10 games--10 days make or break
Weather does not look favorable for the Saturday doubleheader at Tiffin
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 15, 2011, 08:29:29 AM
Marietta and Heidelberg will attempt to get their games in this weekend, and it is only the start....they could easily face each other 7 or 8 times this year with the OAC and Regional tournaments.

It could be like the Otterbein series from 2006 when they played 7 times....OTT won 4 of them, but MC won the Regional Title game when it counted & ended up winning the National Championship.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 15, 2011, 03:08:18 PM
The Heidelberg - Marietta DH scheduled for Sat has been rescheduled for Sun, starting time 1:00PM. This is the latest news as of now.  I will post any changes as soon as I hear it.  Good Luck to both teams, but you know who I'm rooting for.  For sure, they'll both be two hard fought games between two never-say-die teams. They had some classic battles last year and I'm looking forward to the same thing this year.

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 15, 2011, 06:33:39 PM
Quote from: Gramps on April 15, 2011, 03:08:18 PM
The Heidelberg - Marietta DH scheduled for Sat has been rescheduled for Sun, starting time 1:00PM. This is the latest news as of now.  I will post any changes as soon as I hear it.  Good Luck to both teams, but you know who I'm rooting for.  For sure, they'll both be two hard fought games between two never-say-die teams. They had some classic battles last year and I'm looking forward to the same thing this year.

GO BERG!!!!

as of right now (6:30pm est) I can't find the change anywhere on Marietta or Heidelberg's websites.  Is it 100% for sure moved to Sunday?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 15, 2011, 09:24:23 PM
Word is that it has been moved to Sunday although both websites do not show updates.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 15, 2011, 11:13:09 PM
Thanks Kenworth. That's the word that I got too, but it's not official until both websites verify it. Stay tuned.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 16, 2011, 07:44:45 AM
RE:HEIDELBERG - MARIETTA GAMES ---- Per Marietta website ----  At 6:15:29AM it was verified that the games were postponed for Sat and rescheduled for Sun to start at 1:0
The GPS for Peaceful Valley Field is: 186 Prospect St., Tiffin, Ohio 44883.

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 16, 2011, 08:45:44 AM
cool...thanks guys!

it'll be easier to follow online tomorrow for me anyways :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 16, 2011, 03:46:57 PM
Another wash out, I can't remember a year more goofed up by so much rain almost all games moved to Sunday
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 16, 2011, 09:31:53 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 14, 2011, 09:51:01 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 11, 2011, 07:49:40 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 09:17:32 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 10, 2011, 09:14:27 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on April 08, 2011, 09:31:29 PM
Marietta Updated Schedule weather permitting

Thurs-Baldwin Wallace-2 wins
Sat-Ohio Northern-2 wins(1 tough one, one run game)
Sun-Mount Union-2 wins (1 tough one, one run game)
Mon-La Roche-doubleheader rained out no make up date yet
Wed-Capital-2 wins
Sun-Heidelberg-doubleheader



10 games--11 days make or break
Weather does look favorable for the Sunday doubleheader at Tiffin
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 17, 2011, 11:37:52 AM
Winds blowing a freaking gale mostly in from the north. This seems like it could be a very low scoring day.

ETA: They're saying on the radio that the wind is actually blowing out. Odd..getting different readings from different nearby stations.

Apparently in Peaceful Valley the winds are blowing OUT. Apologize for the error.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 17, 2011, 01:51:26 PM
GAME ONE

- Gasser starting for MAR...Holt starting for HEID.
- the MAR offense was able to manufacture runs like crazy off of Holt (5.2 IP, 11 runs, 11 hits, 5 walks)
- while Gasser was absolutely outstanding (6 IP, 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk)....Mulvey came in for mop up duty in the 7th.
- MAR chased Holt in the 6th after 10 runs with a runner on 3rd; and as soon as Chris Thomas came in to pitch he gave up a 2-run HR to Hopper.

Snyder (MAR) - 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, 4 rbi
Hopper (MAR) - 3 for 4, 2 uns, 2b, HR, 4 rbi

FINAL
MAR - 12
HEID - 0
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: oacfan on April 17, 2011, 02:49:30 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 17, 2011, 01:51:26 PM
GAME ONE

- Gasser starting for MAR...Holt starting for HEID.
- the MAR offense was able to manufacture runs like crazy off of Holt (5.2 IP, 11 runs, 11 hits, 5 walks)
- while Gasser was absolutely outstanding (6 IP, 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk)....Mulvey came in for mop up duty in the 7th.
- MAR chased Holt in the 6th after 10 runs with a runner on 3rd; and as soon as Chris Thomas came in to pitch he gave up a 2-run HR to Hopper.

Snyder (MAR) - 2 for 4, 2 runs, 2b, 4 rbi
Hopper (MAR) - 3 for 4, 2 uns, 2b, HR, 4 rbi

FINAL
MAR - 12
HEID - 0



Now thats a whipping.. Keep it up ETTA!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 17, 2011, 04:57:19 PM
GAME TWO

live audio - http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wmoa-live
live stats - http://www.heidelberg.edu/statcrew/bb/xlive.htm

- Blaski (MAR) vs Koehl (HEID)
- HEID got to Blaski early thanks to a few Marietta errors and a 2-run HR by Brechun, and took a 6-0 lead after 2 innings.
- MAR scraped across a few runs in the 3rd and 4th, and HEID added another in the 4th to make it 7-4 HEID.
- both starters are out: Blaski (4 IP, 6 hits, 7 runs, 1 walk, 2k's, 2 hbp)....Koehl (4 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, 5 k's, 2 hbp)
- Willams (MAR) and Lowe (HEID) are both in the game in the 5th.
- in the 6th HEID strings together a walk, a couple singles, a solen base, and a wild pitch to plate their 8th run of the game.
- Lindquist (MAR) on to pitch in the 7th...gets in a jam, but doesn't let a run across.
- Lowe (HEID) has been the story of this one in relief; the only HEID pitcher on the day to succeed (5 IP, 2 runs, 3 h, 1 bb, 1 hbp, 8 k's)
- MAR tried to get going in the 9th and was able to plate 2 runs after a couple hits, but it wasn't enough.

Keen (HEID) - 4 for 5, 2 runs, 3b, 2 rbi
Brechun (HEID) - 1 for 3, 2 runs, 1 bb, 1 hbp, 1 HR, 2 rbi
Monroe (HEID) - 2 for 4, 2 runs, 1 hbp, 2 rbi


FINAL
MAR - 6
HEID - 8
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 17, 2011, 10:44:21 PM

Marietta Updated Schedule

Thurs-Baldwin Wallace-2 wins
Sat-Ohio Northern-2 wins(1 tough one, one run game)
Sun-Mount Union-2 wins (1 tough one, one run game)
Mon-La Roche-doubleheader rained out no make up date yet
Wed-Capital-2 wins
Sun-Heidelberg-Split game one Marietta, game two Heidelberg  this was a good match up of possible finals game of OAC tournament



10 games--11 days make or break 9-1 record 6 different starting pitchers many relief pitchers do very well also

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 17, 2011, 11:11:58 PM
Peaceful Valley was the scene of some very good baseball as Etta and THE BERG split a DH. Etta took game #1, 12-0 and THE BERG won game #2, 8-6.
Game #1 saw E Holt go 5.2 Inn, 11 Hits, 11 Runs with Chris Thomas, in His 1st Varsity appearance, going 1.1 Inn, 2 Hits and 1 Run.
R Lizcano and A Monroe each had 1 Hit.

Game #2 had B Koehl go 4 Inn with 6 Hits, 4 Runs & 2 SO and A Lowe pitched 5 Inn with 3 Hits 2 Runs & 8 SO. Lowe got Win #2.
Leading the offense was Gar Keen, 4-5, 2 RBIs & 2 Runs. Chipping in with 2 Hits each were A Monroe and J Lash. Jumping in with one Hit each was R Lizcano, W Brechun & D Andrzejczak.

Extra Bases: HR - W Brechun; 3B - G Keen
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 18, 2011, 01:29:32 AM
Looks like the 3 errors killed Marietta, even though was only two unearned runs. Any momentum they had from game 1 was gone, and it may very well have unsettled the Marietta pitcher. It surely picked Heidelberg up after the rough first game. Plus if you let Heidelberg get a lead, it means you get what they got in the second half of the game, perhaps the best relief pitcher in Division III.

Marietta had 10 extra base hits in the DH to Heidelberg's 2. I find that interesting considering coming into the day Heidelberg was the better extra-base hitting team, on paper.

A rematch, presumably in less windy conditions, should be interesting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 19, 2011, 09:38:44 AM
It's official, today's DH with BW has been postponed till tomorrow due to inclement weather,

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 20, 2011, 06:21:07 PM
GAME ONE of the Marietta vs Musky DH.....MAR wins 17-2.

Williams gets the win on the mound, and Senior John Snyder has a huge day at the plate (5 for 5).

double
3-run HR
2-run HR
Grandslam HR
single

10 rbi, 4 runs scored



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 21, 2011, 01:36:46 AM
Heidelberg sweeps a DH from BW at Peaceful Valley by the scores of 3-1, & 6-5.
Game #1 - N James pitches a 6 Inn, 8 Hits, 1 Run, 7 SO stint for WIN #5. A Lowe earned SAVE # 11 going 1 Inn, 0 Runs, 0 Hits & 2 SO.
THE BERG's 6 Hits were supplied by R Lizcano, G Keen, W Brechun, J Lash, D Adrzejczak & J Martin. 3 RBIs courtesy of R Lizcano, D Andrzejczak, & J Martin. 3 RUNs were scored by J Lash, D Andrzejczak, & A Buelow.
Game # 2 - S Nino pitched 6.1 Inn, 3 Hit, 5 RUN, 5 SO; A Lowe chipped in with 2.2 Inn,2 Hit 0 RUN 2 SO fr WIN # 3.
Contributing multiple Hits were Monroe 3-3, W Brechun 2-5, Andrzejczak 4-5, Z Colatruglio 2-5 and a Hit each were R Lizcano, J Lash, & A Buelow.
Extra Bases: HR - R Lizcano & W Brechun; Triple - A Monroe and Doubles by W Brechun & J Lash.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 21, 2011, 09:17:05 AM
Are you actually at these games? I would be interested to read about how Heidelberg came back at the end of the second game to basically keep their OAC regular season title hopes alive, even if barely flickering (considering they would likely lose a tiebreaker).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: macdade77 on April 21, 2011, 11:06:48 AM
I've seen both Heidelberg and Marietta play this season. Marietta has more and better pitchers than HC. HC might have slightly more power than MC but MC has better at bats. Defensively, they are both very good. If both teams play as well as they are capable, then I give a slight edge to MC. Having said this, either team can win on any given day.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on April 21, 2011, 03:55:07 PM
An error filled effort by the young Mount team first game they lose 10-3
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 21, 2011, 05:29:21 PM
Quote from: macdade77 on April 21, 2011, 11:06:48 AM
I've seen both Heidelberg and Marietta play this season. Marietta has more and better pitchers than HC. HC might have slightly more power than MC but MC has better at bats. Defensively, they are both very good. If both teams play as well as they are capable, then I give a slight edge to MC. Having said this, either team can win on any given day.

Heidelberg is about off the charts in terms of fielding in Division III, at least by the numbers and I don't think they're lacking in athletic ability to be able to get to balls. The record for fielding percentage is George Fox's .979 in 2005. Right now Heidelberg is .982. Marietta is solid but not spectacular defensively.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 21, 2011, 06:23:41 PM
forheavendial4999, yes, I was actually at both of these games. The details of the 9th inning are as follows:

Heidelberg's first batter of the 9th inning hits a HR , the 2nd batter hits a double, the next two men up hit singles, driving in the tying run. The 5th man up lays down a bunt for another single, loading the bases for the sixth and last man up for the inning who worked his way for a walk, and an RBI for the winning score. 

THE BERG  fans went wild at the end of the game. It was reminiscent of several games from last season in which the team came back from being behind in the late innings. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 21, 2011, 06:57:19 PM
Quote from: Gramps on April 21, 2011, 06:23:41 PM
forheavendial4999, yes, I was actually at both of these games. The details of the 9th inning are as follows:

Heidelberg's first batter of the 9th inning hits a HR , the 2nd batter hits a double, the next two men up hit singles, driving in the tying run. The 5th man up lays down a bunt for another single, loading the bases for the sixth and last man up for the inning who worked his way for a walk, and an RBI for the winning score. 

THE BERG  fans went wild at the end of the game. It was reminiscent of several games from last season in which the team came back from being behind in the late innings. 


Heidelberg certainly has a knack for the late game heroics. Do you have any feel for how or why? Do they have some way of ratcheting up their focus, I'm really curious. I've seen teams like this before that it seems like you just can't kill and still don't really get how they do it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 21, 2011, 07:56:03 PM
If I could bottle it, I would make a fortune.  Maybe it's the "Rally Twizzlers", maybe it's the large fan base, maybe it's the Coach, maybe it's just the chemistry and talent of this particular group of players; but  whatever it is, we, the fans of Heidelberg are grateful for it and hope that the victories keep coming. Since you're such a great stats man, and I mean that as a compliment because I've seen some of your work, maybe you can spot something in their stats.  All I can say is that this has been a fun team to watch these past four years, as my grandson will graduate this year. It's amazing how quick four years can pass, but they have been filled with many memories. The many friends that we have aquired by being a member of the Heidelberg Family will be in our Hearts and minds forever. At the end of this season, I will recount some memories of the past four years as a Heidelberg Baseball Fan.
Good Luck to you and your team.

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 21, 2011, 11:34:54 PM
Well, having Lowe to (almost always) hold the other team where they are -- and have his teammates confidence that he will do that -- certainly has to help. The rest of it...I don't know, I'll see what I can figure out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 23, 2011, 10:52:40 AM
Marietta John Carroll doubleheader moved to Monday at 5:00 due to the current rain and forecast of more rain.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 24, 2011, 07:34:10 PM
THE BERG and the Cardinals split a DH in Westerville on Sat with THE BERG winning Game #1 - 8-4 and losing Game #2 - 4-3.
Game 1 - Starter E Holt went 5 INN - 8 Hits, 4 Runs & 3 SO - WIN #6
Coming in for Save #12 was A Lowe 2 INN - 2 Hits
The leading hitters were R Lizcano 3-4, 4 RBIs, 3 Runs; with 2 Hits each from W Brechun, A Buelow & J Martin and a hit from G Keen.
EXTRA BASES - HR - 2 from R Lizcano and 1 from A Buelow. DBL - R Lizcano
Game 2 - B Koehl pitched 6 INN, 2 Hits, 4 Runs & 5 SO.
A Lowe came in for 2 INN and gave up 2 Hits.
Leading the hitters were R Lizcano & A Monroe with 2 Hits each and W Brechun & A Buelow with single hits.
EXTRA BASES - DBL - A Monroe
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 25, 2011, 11:49:26 AM
MC and John Carroll postponed again.   :-\  Make up date to be announced later.  I think Marietta is in the midst of finals week and that will influence the reschedule.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 25, 2011, 04:49:33 PM
Marietta and John Carroll now scheduled for Sunday.  Marietta has finals this week and could not play the double header any sooner.

So after more than a week off, the Pioneers will play 6 games in three days.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 25, 2011, 05:32:25 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 25, 2011, 04:49:33 PM
Marietta and John Carroll now scheduled for Sunday.  Marietta has finals this week and could not play the double header any sooner.

So after more than a week off, the Pioneers will play 6 games in three days.


according to the Marietta website, the JCU games are rescheduled for Tuesday April 26th at 5pm.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2011/4/25/BB_0425111323.aspx?path=baseball
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 25, 2011, 07:32:03 PM
Yup. Earlier on jcu's site and the oac site it was on for Sunday but has now changed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2011, 10:29:00 AM
MC vs JCU postponed to Sunday at 1:00 PM.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 26, 2011, 01:33:58 PM
Congrats to Marietta on attaining The # 1 Position in the D3 Poll. They have certainly earned it with their steady play over the season. Glad that it's another team from the OAC. How often has it happened that two teams from the same conference have been # 1 during the same year?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2011, 02:36:41 PM
Thanks for the good words...

Being #1 now and being #1 the week before the regionals start are two different things.  Who knows how many teams the mid-east region will have but like last year, in a 7 team field the #1 seed had a much easier road than any of the other six. 

I will take being the top seed in the region following the OAC tournament over being ranked #1 with three weeks to play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 28, 2011, 05:32:54 PM
Marietta Senior John Snyder has been named National Hitter of the Week after his stat boosting performance last week.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2011/4/28/BB_0428113119.aspx?path=baseball
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 30, 2011, 05:40:01 PM
Marietta sweeps Otterbein to start their full alumni weekend of baseball....They have 2 tomorrow with JCU if the weather holds up.

Heidelberg SPLITS with visiting Capital....They are now 3 games behind Marietta in the loss column.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 30, 2011, 07:24:40 PM
Marietta's Brian Gasser pitched another gem. Growing a four hit shut out. Austin Blaski pitched six good innings in game 2, allowing only one run. In 16 innings pioneer pitching struck out 18 cardinal batters.

Pioneer short stop Tim Saunders had six hits in the two games including a two RBI triple.

The curious thing from my perspective is why otterbein didn't use David Cydrus who boasted a 1.12 era coming into the game.

In the late going:

Marietta wins two games in their last four and clinches the regular season title. 
Mount union and John carrol need one win in their last four games to clinch a spot in the tourney.
The Berg with one victory in their last two clinches the two seed.

Mc has John carrol and Wilmington.
The berg has mount union.
Mount union has the berg and capital
Carrol has marietta and capital.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2011, 08:10:27 AM
Otterbein can make the conference tourney if JCU loses all four of their remaining games and they win their two remaining games against Muskingum. (JCU and Otterbein split their double header and the next tie breaker is how they did against the the higer placing teams.  Otterbein split with Heidelberg and JCU was swept by the Berg.)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 03, 2011, 11:42:36 AM
Marietta vs. John Carroll moved to Chillicothe tomorrow at 1:00PM
Marietta @ Wilmington moved to Athletes in Action stadium in Xenia, 11:00 AM Friday.
Marietta vs. LaRoche scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 now a Double Header.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2011/5/3/BB_0503115559.aspx?path=baseball (http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2011/5/3/BB_0503115559.aspx?path=baseball)

The non stop rain is making life miserable for the pioneers and the rest of the OAC it seems.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2011, 05:28:28 PM
Marietta sweeps JCU & clinches the regular season OAC title, and the right to play "host" during the tournament.

The Pioneers won 11-1 and 11-0.


They are trying to add a double-header on Monday 5/9 against Pitt-Greenburg to bring their total number of games to 40 for the year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 04, 2011, 06:41:26 PM
That's some dedication to completing the schedule.

Their schedule page, which includes all their rainouts, looks ridiculous. They've had more cancelled games than game dates I think.

It's amazing how consistently well they've played considering all the interruptions.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2011, 07:03:59 PM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on May 04, 2011, 06:41:26 PM
That's some dedication to completing the schedule.

Their schedule page, which includes all their rainouts, looks ridiculous. They've had more cancelled games than game dates I think.

It's amazing how consistently well they've played considering all the interruptions.

I'm not sure how Brew handles things, but when I played for Coach Schaly the pitchers threw on a regular rotation, whether it be inside or outside, to live hitters.  If games were cancelled and the field was unplayable, we would use the cages out in leftfield and the guys would get live batting practice in 30 min sessions. 

When the weather was decent enough to take the field, we would always have LIVE jv/varsity scrimmages with the varsity guys throwing against varsity hitters & jv pitchers vs jv hitters.

I'm sure many programs use the same sorts of methods, but we loved it b/c it basically gave all the hitters an extra 50-75 LIVE game at-bats throughout the season to stay sharp.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 06, 2011, 08:44:53 AM
Three teams are in the OAC tournament:

1.  Marietta
2.  Heid  elberg
3.  Mount Union

Two teams can gain the fourth spot:
4.  John Carroll
5.  Otterbein

Capital is eliminated.

Mount Union could end up as the #2 seed if they sweep 'Berg this weekend.  'Berg wins one game and they will be the #2 seed.

John Carroll needs to win at least one game against ONU to clinch a spot.  However, if they win 2 to go to 11-7 and Mount Union gets swept and falls to 10-8, then JCU would sneak into the three seed.

If JCU and MTU tie...They split the season series, so the next tie breaker is their record against the top teams of the conference in decending order.   So if the tie is amn 11-7 record, the tie breaker goes to MTU because the raiders would have split with 'Berg.  If the tie is a 10-8 record, it would depend on what Otterbein and capital do in their final series.  If Cap finishes higher than Ott, then the tie-breaker goes to JCU, if OTT finishs higher than CAP, it goes to MTU, I didn't go further down the list. 

If JCU loses two and Otterbein wins two, the tie breaker goes to Otterbein. These two split during the regular season.  However Otterbein won a game against 'Berg where JCU was swept. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on May 06, 2011, 06:22:10 PM
Have to give an atta boy when one is deserved Muc Coach Hesse arranged for his 4 Seniors to "walk" the graduation mile for their parents today since they will be playingthe berg when the regular graduation takes place
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 06, 2011, 06:52:34 PM
Pios finish the oac regular season at 17-1. Two other seasons 1994 and 1999 they went 18-0.

more strong pitching until the 8th inning of game two when a freshman came in and struggled.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 06, 2011, 07:10:58 PM
Quote from: Tinman on May 06, 2011, 06:22:10 PM
Have to give an atta boy when one is deserved Muc Coach Hesse arranged for his 4 Seniors to "walk" the graduation mile for their parents today since they will be playingthe berg when the regular graduation takes place

+1

graduating is a huge part of a young man's life, and making it a point to celebrate that fact while still maintaining the dedication to a commitment (playing baseball on grad day) is sometimes tough to do....well done coach!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 06, 2011, 08:25:19 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 06, 2011, 07:10:58 PM
Quote from: Tinman on May 06, 2011, 06:22:10 PM
Have to give an atta boy when one is deserved Muc Coach Hesse arranged for his 4 Seniors to "walk" the graduation mile for their parents today since they will be playingthe berg when the regular graduation takes place

+1

graduating is a huge part of a young man's life, and making it a point to celebrate that fact while still maintaining the dedication to a commitment (playing baseball on grad day) is sometimes tough to do....well done coach!!

I have to say I wouldn't have wanted it any other way than to graduate how I did; at home plate at the conclusion of a conference championship. I wasn't a player, but I gave 4 years to the program just like they did (not that I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't do it again) and it really felt good and right to get the chance to be on the field in front of the faithful and loyal fans. Really one of the most special moments of my collegiate career. Probably #1. I was nervous as heck just walking from the dugout to the plate. I can't imagine how you guys were the first time you took an at-bat!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 06, 2011, 10:52:07 PM
A tip of Gramps hat to the following Student/Athletes from Heidelberg U on being named to the CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT 4 TEAM (2011)
1ST TEAM:     JASON LASH & ANDREW BUELOW
2ND TEAM:    ANDY LOWE, NATHAN JAMES, & ALEX MONROE

http://www.cosida.com/media/documents/2011/5/2011_Baseball_CO_Acad_All_District_Teams.pdf

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on May 07, 2011, 03:09:57 PM
Mount takes the first game at the Berg 8-4
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on May 07, 2011, 05:05:26 PM
Berg manages a Split with MUC, takes second seed for the tourney!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 07, 2011, 07:27:16 PM
Just waiting on JCU and northern to play in order to set the field.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2011, 06:14:38 PM
JCU wins game 1 and grabs the 4 seed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 09, 2011, 10:33:39 AM
Thursday
Game 1: JCU @ MC 3:30
Game 2: MTU @ Berg 7:00
Friday
Game 3:  Winners 12:00
Game 4:  Losers 3:30
Game 5:  Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 7:00
Saturday
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. winner Game 5 1:00
Game 7: 4:00 If necessary

Now if mother nature can help us out a bit!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 12, 2011, 07:50:03 AM
As THE BERG Senors participate in their final OAC Tournament I'd like to say that it was my privledge to represent them as their blogger for four years. I'd like to wish them the best for the rest of their career in the postseason. And they are Gar Keen, Jason Lash, Derek Andrzejczak, Andy Lowe, Brian Koehl, Brandon Stucky, Nathan James, Willie Brechun, Andrew Buelow, Alex Monroe, Mitch Jones, Joe Rourke, & Blake Thornton. It has been my pleasure to know them, root for them and appreciate their talents both on the field and off. God Bless.

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 12, 2011, 08:05:43 AM
Kudos to those seniors, Gramps.  They have cetainly made their impression on the OAC in their careers.  They have earned my respect and the respect of the Pioneer faithful.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 12, 2011, 05:36:42 PM
GAME ONE:

JCU - 1
MAR - 4

Marietta had runners on all day long, but the timely hitting didn't come until the 7th inning when the Pioneers plated 3 with 2-outs. 

Gasser went the distance to improve to 11-0 on the year, although his 0.89 ERA took a hit with that 1 earned run  ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 12, 2011, 10:27:28 PM
Gasser's era ballooned to a ginormous 0.90 and the "team" era dropped to a filthy 1.66.

Tomorrow is the rubber match between the berg and the pios. Heidelberg beat up on mount union 14-5 in their first round matchup. So the lunchtime special in the winners bracket should be a dandy.

#1 marietta vs #9 Heidelberg.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 13, 2011, 02:14:47 PM
As well as Gasser pitched last night, Blaski one upped it today.

Heidelberg 0-2-2
Marietta  4-5-0

Blaski with the complete game victory. 

S. Nino takes the loss for 'Berg.  Once he settled down in the fourth inning he was very good.  He had trouble finding the plate early on. 

Andy Lowe pitched an inning plus in relief and is virtually unhittable.  Man he is good.

'Berg comes back tonight to play the MU/JCU winner.  Marietta sits in the proverbial catbirds seat for a 1:00 game on Saturday.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2011, 07:44:40 PM
JCU sends MUC packing, 7-1.  Not a great showing by my Raiders, but I'll be the first to call the season a relative success.  Given the number of freshmen starting I didn't think the OAC tournament was a strong possibility.  They gave themselves something to build on.  Sad to see Greg Ferrell go too.  What a player.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Tinman on May 13, 2011, 08:16:53 PM
I was there Doc, they really seemed to fold when JCU put a 3 spot in the 4th and seemed pretty down the rest of the way.  The youthful team will learn it is never over and will figure out how to play through when things get tough.  Some pretty stand up seniors had their last game. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 13, 2011, 09:24:03 PM
Looks very likely for a 'berg bs mc matchup in the title game. Berg up 8-1 when I left in the 7th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 13, 2011, 10:07:00 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 13, 2011, 09:24:03 PM
Looks very likely for a 'berg bs mc matchup in the title game. Berg up 8-1 when I left in the 7th.

you left a few mintues early....for some reason HEID brought in Lowe in the 7th, and he ended up throwing 27 pitches and giving up 3 runs.

That makes 3 appearances in 2 days, plus all the warm-up time....doesn't make any sense.

I know you have to win today to get to tomorrow, but HEID had to have another arm to put out there and enough confidence in their bats to score against a beatdown JCU pitching staff.

They will need Lowe tomorrow, and better hope he isn't the least bit tired....the call doesn't make ANY sense to me at all.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2011, 02:50:22 PM
^^^ hmmm, was I on to something?

Just as HEID started getting some momentum, Lowe comes on in the 7th and gets hit HARD.  Marietta extends the lead to 7-1, and pretty much puts this one away with the way Williams is throwing.

Is Lowe being overused, especially after last night's pointless LONG inning of work????  I think so.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2011, 03:33:32 PM
Marietta - 2011 OAC Champs!!

well done fellas!

Snyder wins the OAC Tournament MVP...the first of many awards coming his way this season.

And it doesn't get much better than the Pioneer starting pitchers.

Gasser (vs. JCU) – 9 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 bb's, 8 k's
Blaski (vs. #9 Heidelberg) – 9 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 4 bb's, 3 k's
Williams (vs. #9 Heidelberg) - 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 bb's, 5 k's
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 14, 2011, 05:18:20 PM
Some things really stood out at this tournament.

1.  Mount union and John Carroll are no where close to what 'berg and marietta are. The difference in pitching staffs and overall offense and defense is night and day right now.

2.  Both 'berg and mc play very good defense most of the time. The first baseman for 'berg is outstanding on d.  He made some plays today that were very impressive. Mc's shortstop (Saunders) is as good as you will see anywhere in d3.   Marietta's thirdbaseman who hadn't played a whole lot this season came up with some stellar plays. Gar keen, berg's 2b is stellar. Lizcano is also very good defensively.

3.  Andy Lowe is an amazing pitcher. As Mideast fan says he may have been used a bit too much. However when you are fighting for your life and have to win to continue, you go with the best you have. That's what coach palm did and I think the pios were ready for him.

4.  The better team won the tournament. The pio pitching staff is ridiculously good.  In four games against each other the scores were 12-0, 6-8, 4-0, and 7-3 marietta winning three. In those three wins 'berg never really threatened to do anything significant.

5.  Both of these teams will be in the NCAA tourney. Find me 13 other pool c teams better than berg. They are legit.

It was great to see the pios win the league and the tourney. Hopefully the can keep rolling through the regional and into Appleton. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 14, 2011, 07:35:43 PM
Quote from: Tinman on May 13, 2011, 08:16:53 PM
I was there Doc, they really seemed to fold when JCU put a 3 spot in the 4th and seemed pretty down the rest of the way.  The youthful team will learn it is never over and will figure out how to play through when things get tough.  Some pretty stand up seniors had their last game. 


I guess the only thing I don't like is that it was the 4th inning of a 9 inning game.  I don't care if you're playing 9 freshmen you shouldn't be hanging your heads down 4 with half the game to go.  Especially when they know they can score.  Oh well, they'll learn from it hopefully.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 14, 2011, 07:40:45 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 14, 2011, 05:18:20 PM
Some things really stood out at this tournament.

1.  Mount union and John Carroll are no where close to what 'berg and marietta are. The difference in pitching staffs and overall offense and defense is night and day right now.

2.  Both 'berg and mc play very good defense most of the time. The first baseman for 'berg is outstanding on d.  He made some plays today that were very impressive. Mc's shortstop (Saunders) is as good as you will see anywhere in d3.   Marietta's thirdbaseman who hadn't played a whole lot this season came up with some stellar plays. Gar keen, berg's 2b is stellar. Lizcano is also very good defensively.

3.  Andy Lowe is an amazing pitcher. As Mideast fan says he may have been used a bit too much. However when you are fighting for your life and have to win to continue, you go with the best you have. That's what coach palm did and I think the pios were ready for him.

4.  The better team won the tournament. The pio pitching staff is ridiculously good.  In four games against each other the scores were 12-0, 6-8, 4-0, and 7-3 marietta winning three. In those three wins 'berg never really threatened to do anything significant.

5.  Both of these teams will be in the NCAA tourney. Find me 13 other pool c teams better than berg. They are legit.

It was great to see the pios win the league and the tourney. Hopefully the can keep rolling through the regional and into Appleton. 

I think anyone who followed the OAC this year expected that.  The conference was very down after the top two.  Neither JCU nor MUC was significantly better than any team below them.  The overall parity in the conference is improving.  Now we just have to hope that the other 8 can all get better overall to close the gap a little.  It'll be interesting to see who gets the ONU job.  That could be a great D3 job for someone.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 14, 2011, 09:17:47 PM
Congratulation to the Marietta Pioneers on winning the OAC Tournament. They have proven themselves to be the best of the OAC. Awesome pitching.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on May 15, 2011, 04:55:56 PM
Gramps thanks for the congrats.  Heidelberg will be playing this week as well.  It seems like your Seniors have been there forever, a fine group of talented players.  I also want to congratulate you on being a fine representative of the Heid Baseball team.  Always nothing but positive posting from you.  It was also a great site to see BOTH sides of the stands congratulating both teams and individuals recognized at the conclusion of the final game. Two fierce competitive teams end up as sportsman after the last pitch.  Good luck to you and your grandson. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 16, 2011, 08:48:06 AM
Congratulations to all of the ALL-OAC 2011 TEAM AWARDEES, but especially the following BERG players:
1ST TEAM: R LIZCANO, W BRECHUN, J LASH, A LOWE, & N JAMES
2ND TEAM: A MONROE, D ANDRZEJCZAK, G KEEN, S NINO, E HOLT
HONORABLE MENTION: A BUELOW & B KOEHL

Also, this has been Jason Lash's fourth 1st Team ALL-OAC selection. What an honor, and what a career. SUPER!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 16, 2011, 08:57:51 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on May 15, 2011, 04:55:56 PM
Gramps thanks for the congrats.  Heidelberg will be playing this week as well.  It seems like your Seniors have been there forever, a fine group of talented players.  I also want to congratulate you on being a fine representative of the Heid Baseball team.  Always nothing but positive posting from you.  It was also a great site to see BOTH sides of the stands congratulating both teams and individuals recognized at the conclusion of the final game. Two fierce competitive teams end up as sportsman after the last pitch.  Good luck to you and your grandson. 

Kenworth, thanks for the kind words. I just saw the posting of the Mid-East Reginal, and it looks like we'll be seeing each other again. Drop over and we'll talk some baseball.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 16, 2011, 09:30:30 AM
Quote from: Gramps on May 16, 2011, 08:48:06 AM
Also, this has been Jason Lash's forth 1st Team ALL-OAC selection. What an honor, and what a career. SUPER!!!!

This is amazing.  He is a special player.

Kudos also to

John Snyder, Player of the year
Brian Gasser Pitcher of the year

Tim Saunders (ss), Kirby Becker (2b), Austin Blaski (p), Mark Williams (p) being named to the first team.
Jordan Grilliot (of),Aaron Hopper (Of) and Kyle Linquist (p) being named to the second team.
And Casey Leavens being named honerable mention. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on May 16, 2011, 09:35:09 PM
Unsung HERO of Marietta Baseball team is Catcher Alex Toth.  This gentleman came from nowhere to fill maybe the most important position on the team.  He answered the question of who would or could take Danny Jones' position.  He has done a great job behind the plate and is very adequate at the plate for just a Sophomore.  Congrats on a great season!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on May 16, 2011, 09:40:43 PM
Just a few FYI tidbits, of the eight fielding positions for Marietta, five have been occupied by Sophomores for most of the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Baseball Coach Toledo on May 17, 2011, 10:02:12 AM
I'm a high school coach from Toledo. Was able to watch Heidelburg play in their tournament, while I was watching a former player. First thing I noticed was their Infield/Outfield Routine to start the game. Very efficient, very different, but I loved it.

Anyone have any idea exactly what the routine is? Or maybe a place where I could find it online


Thanks,

Coach Mack
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 19, 2011, 09:55:33 PM
Quote from: Baseball Coach Toledo on May 17, 2011, 10:02:12 AM
I'm a high school coach from Toledo. Was able to watch Heidelburg play in their tournament, while I was watching a former player. First thing I noticed was their Infield/Outfield Routine to start the game. Very efficient, very different, but I loved it.

Anyone have any idea exactly what the routine is? Or maybe a place where I could find it online


Thanks,

Coach Mack
Coach,

I'm sure if you call or write to coach Palm he would be happy to share the warmup routine with you. My son is a freshman pitcher on the Berg squad and his high school did a very similar warmup routine. It keeps everybody moving and on their toes
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 20, 2011, 09:14:44 AM
Today's game between Etta & THE BERG has been changed to 1:00 PM due to the rainout last night. Best of Luck to both teams.

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 25, 2011, 01:38:27 AM
A tip of Gramp's hat to the following BERG players. AWESOME!!!!

2011 ALL MID-EAST REGION

1ST TEAM - JASON LASH, RICARDO LIZCANO, ANDY LOWE
2ND TEAM - NATHAN JAMES
3RD TEAM - GAR KEEN, WILLIE BRECHUN, ALEX MONROE, ETHAN HOLT

GOLDEN GLOVE NOMINEES - GAR KEEN, JASON LASH, JORDAN MARTIN
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 25, 2011, 08:14:57 AM
CONGRATS to all the OAC members on the d3baseball.com All-American teams:

FIRST TEAM
OF John Snyder, Marietta
P Andy Lowe, Heidelberg
P Brian Gasser, Marietta (National Pitcher of the Year)

SECOND TEAM
P Mark Williams, Marietta

HON MENTION
OF Ricardo Lizcano, Heidelberg
P Austin Blaski, Marietta
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 25, 2011, 11:00:11 AM
And the Pioneers named to the All Mideast Region team.

Player of the Year: John Snyder
Pitcher of the Year: Brian Gasser

Joinging them on the first team and the All American Ballot:
Tim Saunders (SS), Austin Blaski.

Second Team
Mark Williams

Third Team
Aaron Hopper

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 26, 2011, 01:06:36 PM
Congratulations to all of the Studen/Athletes in the OAC on being Named Academic All-OAC.
Especially the following Heidelberg Players.

1ST TEAM - NATHAN JAMES, ANDREW BUELOW, ALEX MONROE, ANDY LOWE, & JASON LASH.

JASON LASH IS A 3 YEAR 1ST TEAM HONOREE.

http://www.oac.org/htdocs/Releases/BaseballAcadAll-OAC2011.pdf
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on June 01, 2011, 09:12:42 AM
Congratulations to the Pioneers on winning the DIII championship.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on June 01, 2011, 12:41:06 PM
Congrats to the Pios on another NCAA Championship. Solid team from top to bottom all year long. Pitching staff, unreal.
The scary part for Mid East opponents is the majority of the team will be back for another run at the title.
A catch phrase for this years team and most likely next year would be, " Don't get caught standing on the tracks when the Etta Express is coming thru."

One last thought. It's a shame the Berg did not get shipped another region. I beleave you had 2 of the top 4 teams in the nation in the same conference and region. It would have been great to possibly see an all OAC match up for the title.

Congradulations to Marietta on a job well done.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on June 04, 2011, 08:13:27 AM
OAC GOLD GLOVE WINNERS: 

2009     GREG FERRELL     OF     MOUNT UNION
2010     WES CARDER      SS     MUSKINGUM
2010     DAN JONES         C       MARIETTA
2011     JASON LASH        SS     HEIDELBERG
2011     JORDAN MARTIN  C       HEIDELBERG
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on October 19, 2011, 06:00:31 PM
did any other teams play a Fall ball Exhibition game like Marietta did? If so, how did they do? Marietta hosted Cortland State and split. They won the first game 10-1 and lost the second 12-10. Good to see a little baseball being played early this year. They got a chance to have their freshman get a little taste of what it's going to be like in the Spring. Both teams were a little sloppy at times but a lot of promise being shown in Marietta once again.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on October 20, 2011, 08:57:30 AM
QuoteQuote from: Gramps on October 05, 2011, 02:10:21 am
Word heard from Heidelberg is that the rains caused the field to be flooded and that "Fall Ball" was cancelled.  Can anyone clarify this for me?  We will be at THE BERG  Oct. 16th for the 2011 Awards Banquet and normally. the last game of Black vs Orange  is played that day. 
I'd also like to know how other teams have done in Fall Ball.  It would give a good insight as to what to expect for the 2012 season.
QuoteQuote from: Motorman
Fall Ball not cancelled Gramps, just pushed back a week. Big day on Sunday with 2 9 inning DH's on tap. One squad playing at Adrian and the other playing at Sienna Heights.

As per Motorman (in bold) on the NCAC board Hiedelberg played Adrian and Sienna Heights in a split squad. Not sure how it all turned out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BaseballMom22 on October 20, 2011, 06:31:22 PM
Berg varsity did play 1 game against Sienna Heights and 1 game against Adrian. Berg beat Sienna Heights 13-1 and lost to Adrian, I believe the score was 7-3. Sienna had beaten Adrian earlier in the day, but I don't know what the score was.

With all of the holes the Berg has to fill due to graduation, several freshman and sophomores played key rolls in both games. Even with it still being early, several youngsters looked very solid. Even though we will be young, I don't think we will have any trouble being competitive.

Berg JV also played both teams' JV squads, and won both games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on October 23, 2011, 08:05:13 PM
Ring ceremony was pretty sweet In Marietta this past Saturday. Great turn out by the fans and community
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on October 24, 2011, 08:39:11 AM
Good to hear Etta. They deserve it. They are going to be tough team again this year. Good luck.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on October 24, 2011, 08:59:58 AM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on October 24, 2011, 08:39:11 AM
Good to hear Etta. They deserve it. They are going to be tough team again this year. Good luck.
Kudos to the Etta team of 2011. Awesome season for an awesome team. Best of Luck in the future. We made some nice friends over our four years of competition with the Etta family which we will treasure in our memory book.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 17, 2011, 02:12:14 PM
Here is News from Capitol from the Fall season:
QuoteCrusaders Roll Through Fall Ball
Posted by Bryan DeArdo |
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
COLUMBUS- Heading into his team’s fall baseball training schedule, Capital University coach Ryan Grice was optimistic about the direction of his team. A month later, Grice is even more primed for spring to come.

Grice was pleased to report that each of his players arrived in great shape and took advantage of their 16-practice schedule through the month of September. Capital’s stellar month of practice was highlighted by the team defeating Otterbein twice in Westerville.

Strong chemistry and the team’s peerless work ethic were among the many positives that Grice took from fall ball.

“I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids to build this program with. The chemistry on this team is great … everyone is involved here,” Grice said. “The guys are gym rats, and they kicked it up into high gear this month and were focused on the details that are going to make them better.”

While Grice had to spend the bulk of last year’s fall ball acclimating 30 freshmen to his program, Grice had only 12 new players in camp this year and was able to spend more time coaching this fall as opposed to introducing his philosophy. While the team’s sophomore class is filled with talent and experience after seeing considerable playing time as freshmen, Grice has seen his senior-less team receive newfound leadership from Justin Hoying (Fort Loramie, Ohio) and juniors Jacob Thuman (Westerville, Ohio), Patrick Jackson (Grove City, Ohio), Nate Campbell (Latrobe, Pa.) and Brandon Natale (Westerville, Ohio).

A freshman last year, Hoying anchored the pitching staff with three wins, two complete games and 39 strikeouts. Thuman led Capital with a .320 batting average and a .991 fielding percentage en route to earning All-Ohio Athletic Conference Second Team honors. Campbell was second on the team with a .309 average and led the team with seven stolen bases, while Natale fought through an injury last season and looks to return to the form that saw him lead the Crusaders in home runs in 2010.

The quintet played a key role in Capital’s wins over Otterbein, Heidelberg and Muskingum last year, marking the first time that the Purple and White had defeated those three OAC foes in a season since 2007.

“We don’t have a lot of raw raw guys, which is fine because to me productivity is leadership,” Grice said. “Justin and Nate lead by example, and Jake and Brandon will say things when needed. They’re also all very smart and do well in school, and to me that’s important because they are leading by example in baseball and in the classroom. Those guys are also very hard workers, which is a great thing to have when your best players are also your hardest working kids.”

The Crusaders pitching and defense, two of the main pillars of having a successful team, also made strides this fall.

“I’m excited about the depth of our defensive alignment. They have really grown through their work ethic and their focus on fundamentals. That’s saying a lot considering they fielded .960 last year,” Grice said. “We know we have four very solid starters on our pitching staff, and some very good guys behind them. We’ll have a much deeper staff this year, which means that our guys will be well-rested and can throw their best stuff when it’s their turn in the rotation.”

A major focus last month was spent on retooling an offense that showed signs of brilliance last spring but were not able to sustain that level of consistency throughout the season.

“Our top goal offensively will be just getting guys in scoring position as much as we can,” Grice said. “We worked on having the guys stay aggressive but being more selective with what pitches to hit. We’ll be able to do a number of things offensively, whether it’s moving guys through bunts or stealing bases. We’re a more athletic team this year, and we’re going to take advantage of that.”

Grice is also taking advantage of having a roster full of players that have bought into his philosophies and have a strong desire to get Capital baseball to the top of the conference.

“They’re smart kids, and they take a lot of pride in everything they do,” Grice said. “The kids have always given me their best effort, and they always try to do the right thing. Because of that, the wins and losses are going to turn around shortly.”

The story can be found on Capitols web page:

http://www.capitalcrusaders.net/ (http://www.capitalcrusaders.net/)

Sorry for the long post but looking forward to Spring.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 22, 2011, 09:14:27 AM
This is from Jdex on the SUNYAC board:

Quote from: jdex on November 21, 2011, 11:33:06 PM


Excerpted from Marietta news accounts ......

MARIETTA - Marietta College and SUNY Cortland each won a game. But the biggest winner at the Oct. 8 twinbill was the Strecker Cancer Center. "It was really nice to see a good crowd out here," said MC skipper Brian Brewer after the NCAA Division III defending national champion Pioneers split a doubleheader with the Red Dragons of New York State, winning the first game 10-1 but dropping the nightcap 13-10. Most of the players on both sides saw some diamond action as the two head coaches subbed freely.

In the opener, MC broke open a close game with a six-run seventh inning. Righty Brian Gasser, the DIII Pitcher of the Year, started on the hill for the Pioneers and threw three innings. The Etta Express ace was relieved by Logan Lewis and Kyle Lindquist. Marietta's top hitter was third baseman Bryan Gregorich, who was 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Second baseman Kirby Becker added three singles, and center fielder Aaron Hopper had a two-basehit.

Bouncing back in the nightcap, Cortland batted around and exploded for six runs in the top of the third inning. Max Rosing, Chris Jackson, Andrew Pezzuto, John Adornetto, and Donny Castaldo each drove in a run. MC got four of the runs back in the bottom half of the frame. All of this occurred with two outs. The Etta Express cut it to 6-5 in the fifth. But the Dragons responded with three runs in the top of the sixth to make it 9-5. In the bottom of the sixth, Marietta tied the game at 9-all. The MC Pioneers then took their first lead 10-9 in the seventh.

Cortland regained the lead in the eighth when it plated four runs. Matt June had one of the big hits, an RBI double. Bryan Mistretta also drove in a run.

"A split's a split, it's never a good thing and certainly not at home," Brewer said. "Having said that, I think we saw some good things. We had some young guys that played really well. I don't think our older guys played that well today. "Said Cortland coach Joe Brown, "It gives you something to improve upon. I certainly knew coming in that we were going to be playing a very good baseball team."
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on November 23, 2011, 12:49:47 AM
THE BERG did have an intra-squad Fall Ball WS and the following is a report from the new SID, Andrew Middleman:

Home › Athletics › Teams › Baseball › News Releases › 2011
Heidelberg Baseball Wraps Up Fall World Series, Celebrates Strong 2011 Season

The Heidelberg University baseball team recently completed its annual Fall World Series. The Orange team won the series, 4-1.

In Game 1, Lashon Long belted a three-run home run in the first inning and Daniel Brannum pitched the final frame to record the save, as the Orange team won, 4-1. . For the Black team, Ricardo Lizcano had a double.

In Game 2, the Orange team downed the Black Team by a score of 11-7. Sophomore Zach O'Driscoll recorded the win for Orange. Players with multiple hits for the Orange team included Austin Fleming, Steve Kisan, Jordan Martin, Doug Miller and Steve Morse. Sylvester Nino suffered the loss for Black.

The Orange team took a 3-0 advantage in the series by winning game three, 6-5. Karl Boedecker took the win on the mound with Daniel Brannum recording his second save of the series. Elvin Williams and Arneal Squibb led the Orange team with two hits apiece. Chris Thomas started on the mound for the Black team and gave up five runs (two earned) in five innings. Ricardo Lizcano hit a solo home run and had three RBI for the Black team.

The Black team got its first win of series by winning Game 4, 3-0. Junior Tyler Fruhwirth gave up just five hits in a complete game shutout for the Black team. Ben Blystone hit a two-run triple in the sixth inning to give the Black team the lead. Freshman Ryan Minteer pitched well for the Orange team giving up one hit over five innings.

In Game 5, the Orange team won by a score of 6-5. Bryan Peters recorded the win, pitching four innings and giving up four runs (two earned). Steve Kisan had three hits for the Orange team. Ross Pruitt suffered the loss for the Black team. The series concluded the fall season for the 'Berg.

The Heidelberg University baseball team wrapped up the 2011 season with the annual fall banquet at Camden Falls on October 16, 2011. The night included a dinner, season recap, awards presentation and a 2012 season preview. All players from the 2012 team were in attendance, in addition to the seniors from the 2011 team.

The following awards were presented at the banquet:

All-OAC First Team : Nate James, Andy Lowe, Willie Brechun, Ricardo Lizcano, Jason Lash
All-OAC Second Team: Ethan Holt, Sylvester Nino, Gar Keen, Derek Andrzejczak, Alex Monroe
All-OAC Honorable Mention: Brian Koehl, Drew Buelow
OAC Sportsman of the Year: Andy Lowe
Academic All-OAC: Nathan James, Jason Lash, Andy Lowe, Drew Buelow, Alex Monroe

Ohio Athletic Conference Players of the Week: Gar Keen

OAC All-Tournament Team: Alex Monroe, Gar Keen, Elvin Williams, Jordan Martin

Regional All-Tournament Team: Alex Monroe, Gar Keen, All-Region, Jason Lash (1st), Ricardo Lizcano (1st), Andy Lowe (1st), Nate James (2nd), Gar Keen (3rd), Willie Brechun (3rd), Alex Monroe (3rd), Ethan Holt (3rd)

Team Awards
MVP: Ricardo Lizcano
Pitcher of the Year: Andy Lowe
Hitter of the Year: Ricardo Lizcano
Rookie of the Year: Zach O'Driscoll
Best Defensive Player: Jason Lash
Team Award: Joe Rourke
Coach's Award: Blake Thornton

National Leaders: Andy Lowe (14 Saves)

All-America: Ricardo Lizcano (HM ABCA) (3rd D3Baseball.com), Jason Lash (2nd D3Baseball.com), Andy Lowe (1st ABCA) (3rd D3Baseball.com)

National Gold Glove: Jason Lash, Jordan Martin

Mideast Region Gold Glove: Jason Lash, Jordan Martin, Gar Keen
Additional Contact Information:

For more information on Heidelberg athletics, contact director of sports information & athletic marketing Andrew Middleman at (419) 448-2140 or amiddlem@heidelberg.edu.


Sorry for the long Post, but some people were interested as to some of the promising Freshmen's progress and of THE BERG's progress since the graduation of the departing Class of 2011. 


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on December 16, 2011, 07:01:20 AM
The Heidelberg website just published their 2012 baseball schedule.  The Florida trip will be a shakedown tryout at several positions.  It will be interesting to see how many Freshmen will be plugged into the starting lineup. Knowing Coach Palm, he will field a very competitive team.

http://vweb.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/baseball/schedule
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on December 22, 2011, 10:32:39 PM
Surprised I am the first one to mention it, but Collegiate Baseball Magazine has posted the first preseason D3 baseball poll. Totally as expected Marietta is #1. Don't know that it was nearly as expected but Heidelberg comes in at #14.

Rank    School Name '11 Final Record Point Totals
1. Marietta, OH 47-4 270
2. Chapman, CA 37-13 261
3. Kean, NJ 42-11 259
4. Christopher Newport, VA 39-7 255
5. SUNY-Cortland, NY 36-10 252
6. Linfield, OR 33-11 249
7. Wisc.-Whitewater 37-13 245
8. Buena Vista, IA 34-18 242
9. Eastern Connecticut St. 34-13 240
10. Alvernia, PA 38-9 237
11. Western New England, MA 42-11 236
12. Wisc.-Stevens Point 34-10 234
13. Thomas More, KY 29-9 230
14. Heidelberg, OH 36-13 228
15. Redlands, CA 30-13 225
16. Wheaton, MA 32-12 222
17. Salisbury, MD 34-14 219
18. St. Scholastica, MN 37-7 218
19. Carthage, WI 32-12 214
20. Tufts, MA 27-9-1 211
21. Southern Maine 22-19 208
22. Johns Hopkins, MD 27-15 205
23. Birmingham-Southern, AL 30-9 203
24. Piedmont, GA 32-15 200
25. Coe, IA 32-12 195
26. Adrian, MI 31-11 193
27. Rowan, NJ 31-13-1 190
28. Texas-Tyler 33-8 188
29. St. Thomas, MN 28-17 186
30. Illinois Wesleyan 28-18 183


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on January 07, 2012, 02:48:58 PM
Don't know about everybody else, but the 50 degree weather yesterday made me want to come out of hibernation. Only 56 days till I leave for Florida and 57 until the Berg plays their first game. The other regions have been talking about where regionals are going to be held. Is the MidEast Regional going back to Marietta? They made the announcement last year in November but no news yet this year. I know the NCAA does things like this when the feel like it, not on any timetable.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: CrashDavisD3 on January 07, 2012, 10:16:48 PM
NCAA is never consistent year to year. Announcement come out for everything almost never at the same time as the prior years, include rule changes, updates to publications etc...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on January 08, 2012, 06:45:28 PM
motorman & pitchersmon, I envy you about going to Florida and looking forward to another of following THE BERG and your son's baseball accomplishments on the mound.  The last four years of camradarie with THE BERG family has been one of the high lights of following my grandchildren's progress in the arena of life.  The many friends that Lucy and me made over the last four years will never be forgotten.  Best of Luck to THE BERG team for the 2012 Season and know that our thoughts will be with you throughout the year. 

GO BERG, BACK TO GRAND CHUTE!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on January 24, 2012, 04:36:13 PM
D3.com preseason poll posted today. Marietta unanimous #1, Heidelberg #10. Hope Berg lives up to that ranking. Gonna be tough replacing 6 starting position players. Looks like a slap at the NCAC in that no one from their conference even received a single vote among the others receiving votes. 40 days till the first game in Florida.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 26, 2012, 05:32:26 PM
Gotta love it, next week at this time the Berg should be about done with the first game of the season. Let's get rid of the white stuff while we are in Florida so that we have a decent spring.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 27, 2012, 09:45:54 PM
Season's here!

BW should have that offense clicking going into the meat of their FL schedule.  Drop the opener at Shawnee St. 6-3 then rattle off a couple drubbings of Walsh 16-4 and 14-4.  Since they open in FL with a pair against the always bad John Jay they should be sitting at 4-1 early.

It's no secret I thought Harrison was a good hire.  I thought he could coach, especially offensively, and definitely recruit.  With a couple freshmen in the middle of the order early he's doing exactly what he wanted...incrementally improve his top talent from year to year.  It's a lot like what Grice is trying to do at Cap.  Etta is loaded so everyone's playing for 2nd, but I love watching the movement in that 2nd tier of the conference.

p.s. No slight to the Berg whatsoever saying everyone is playing for 2nd.  NO ONE is a bigger Matt Palm fan than me.  Guy has done as good a job as anyone in the nation.  But Etta is the defending champs with A LOT back.  Berg lost a historic senior class.  One that changed that program in a huge way.  That's tough to replace.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 27, 2012, 10:08:06 PM
Just checked the OAC page.  Ott is 2-0 with a sweep of Centre.  JCU is 0-2 after a DH w/ Case.  Cap is 2-1 heading into FL.

Also, found it interesting that Cap has no seniors.  Only 5 juniors.  And 29 soph/frosh. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on February 28, 2012, 07:37:20 AM
Marietta will host the 2012 Mideast Regional. This could make it even tougher for another team to make it to Appleton....this could be another huge opportunity for the Pioneers and their loaded pitching staff.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2012, 01:47:48 PM
mideast, who are you looking at to fill out the rotation after Gasser and Blaski?  I'd assume Mahaffey?  It seemed like he and Levens got a fair number of starts last year.  With their top 2 and Lindquist at the back end that really seems to be the only question is who's the bottom half of the rotation?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 28, 2012, 02:11:33 PM
Mahaffey is likely #3
Logan Lewis is likely #4

Spoke to someone today who said Linquist has not been throwing lately, a shoulder problem perhaps.

We also have Luke Langdon who threw several innings last year, and Mike Mulvey who also threw some last year. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2012, 07:32:31 PM
Quote from: motorman on January 24, 2012, 04:36:13 PM
D3.com preseason poll posted today. Marietta unanimous #1, Heidelberg #10. Hope Berg lives up to that ranking. Gonna be tough replacing 6 starting position players. Looks like a slap at the NCAC in that no one from their conference even received a single vote among the others receiving votes. 40 days till the first game in Florida.

I don't know if there's more pressure on any single player in the OAC than there is on Ricky Lizcano.  He's a stud and they need him to have a huge year because they're going to leaning on him big time with only Williams and the defensive heavy Martin back. 

Any Berg folks see anything during fall ball?  Is O'Driscoll going to be starting or perhaps taking Lowe's spot?  I'll say this...I wouldn't be surprised if Thomas is their #1 at some point this season if he stays healthy.  Holt, Nino, Thomas and O'Driscoll is a very solid staff. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2012, 07:34:21 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 28, 2012, 02:11:33 PM
Mahaffey is likely #3
Logan Lewis is likely #4

Spoke to someone today who said Linquist has not been throwing lately, a shoulder problem perhaps.

We also have Luke Langdon who threw several innings last year, and Mike Mulvey who also threw some last year.

Thanks EttaFan.  Hope Lindquist is okay.  They certainly have no reason to rush him as they're gunning for another long season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 29, 2012, 07:08:49 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2012, 07:32:31 PM
Quote from: motorman on January 24, 2012, 04:36:13 PM
D3.com preseason poll posted today. Marietta unanimous #1, Heidelberg #10. Hope Berg lives up to that ranking. Gonna be tough replacing 6 starting position players. Looks like a slap at the NCAC in that no one from their conference even received a single vote among the others receiving votes. 40 days till the first game in Florida.

I don't know if there's more pressure on any single player in the OAC than there is on Ricky Lizcano.  He's a stud and they need him to have a huge year because they're going to leaning on him big time with only Williams and the defensive heavy Martin back. 

Any Berg folks see anything during fall ball?  Is O'Driscoll going to be starting or perhaps taking Lowe's spot?  I'll say this...I wouldn't be surprised if Thomas is their #1 at some point this season if he stays healthy.  Holt, Nino, Thomas and O'Driscoll is a very solid staff.

Dr,

I think the plan is for O'Driscoll to move into Lowe's role. He closed all the fall games. Could be quite an adventure for Berg through the early part of the season because of injuries. Did you see Thomas pitch against Marietta at regionals or are you just going by what you heard? He needs to get some consistency but it looks like he could fulfill your prediction in the near future.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 29, 2012, 07:12:46 PM
I forgot my P.S.

Good luck to all the other OAC teams in Florida. Can't wait to get down there myself.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 29, 2012, 08:53:57 PM
Quote from: motorman on February 29, 2012, 07:08:49 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2012, 07:32:31 PM
Quote from: motorman on January 24, 2012, 04:36:13 PM
D3.com preseason poll posted today. Marietta unanimous #1, Heidelberg #10. Hope Berg lives up to that ranking. Gonna be tough replacing 6 starting position players. Looks like a slap at the NCAC in that no one from their conference even received a single vote among the others receiving votes. 40 days till the first game in Florida.

I don't know if there's more pressure on any single player in the OAC than there is on Ricky Lizcano.  He's a stud and they need him to have a huge year because they're going to leaning on him big time with only Williams and the defensive heavy Martin back. 

Any Berg folks see anything during fall ball?  Is O'Driscoll going to be starting or perhaps taking Lowe's spot?  I'll say this...I wouldn't be surprised if Thomas is their #1 at some point this season if he stays healthy.  Holt, Nino, Thomas and O'Driscoll is a very solid staff.

Dr,

I think the plan is for O'Driscoll to move into Lowe's role. He closed all the fall games. Could be quite an adventure for Berg through the early part of the season because of injuries. Did you see Thomas pitch against Marietta at regionals or are you just going by what you heard? He needs to get some consistency but it looks like he could fulfill your prediction in the near future.

I wondered if that wouldn't be the case for O'Driscoll.  You can't blame Palm.  He's been spoiled with that ability to shorten the game with a great closer for years.  It certainly works for him so why change it?

I didn't see the Etta game at regionals.  I've followed him since HS because he's from Perry (I'm a Lake guy) so I knew he was lights out in a very good DI league.  You don't do what he did without being very good.  Maybe my prediction was partially me being a homer, but I still stand by it!  He'll be a good one.

Who's injured, motorman?  Hopefully nothing serious.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 01, 2012, 12:51:16 AM
Dr. Acula, Gramps here. Good to get your insight again.  Based on my observations from last year, a few players that could take up the slack in the hitting department could be Zack Colatruglio and  Arnell Squibb.  Jordie Martin, who won a Gold Glove last season, also has a nice swing. I know nothing about the    Freshmen, but knowing Coach Palm, he recruits well.  I'm sure that he'll have a few surprises for the league.  I also liked Chris Thomas's potential as a starter.  Ricardo Lizcano is a stud and Elvin Williams, barring injuries, will contribute much to the team.
Our family intends to catch a few games this year and who knows, we might get a chance to get together and talk a little baseball.

GO BERG!!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2012, 04:42:09 PM
Cap has drilled John Jay the last 2 days 17-0 and 18-5 to go to 4-1 overall.  They play Adrian today and tomorrow so that'll be a good test against a regional caliber team.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2012, 04:43:49 PM
Quote from: Gramps on March 01, 2012, 12:51:16 AM
Dr. Acula, Gramps here. Good to get your insight again.  Based on my observations from last year, a few players that could take up the slack in the hitting department could be Zack Colatruglio and  Arnell Squibb.  Jordie Martin, who won a Gold Glove last season, also has a nice swing. I know nothing about the    Freshmen, but knowing Coach Palm, he recruits well.  I'm sure that he'll have a few surprises for the league.  I also liked Chris Thomas's potential as a starter.  Ricardo Lizcano is a stud and Elvin Williams, barring injuries, will contribute much to the team.
Our family intends to catch a few games this year and who knows, we might get a chance to get together and talk a little baseball.

GO BERG!!!!!

Gramps, hope you're well!  It's tough to extract much from the stats last year about the hitters that may step up.  Only people like yourself that were at games know a lot of these kids.  The one thing that's for sure is that Palm can recruit.  I'm sure they'll be fine by the time OAC play starts.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 02, 2012, 08:31:38 AM
Cap lost 23-13 to Adrian in 11 innings.  Tough loss for the Crusaders.  They were up 1 in the 9th.  Struck out the first 2 Adrian hitters in the 9th...then gave up a double, wild pitch advanced him to 3rd and a passed ball on a strikeout allowed him to score as the batter reached safely.  Ouch.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 02, 2012, 09:45:08 AM
Looks like Grice is doing a good job at Cap. OWU faces them on the 7th. It will good to see how OWU matches up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 02, 2012, 01:05:28 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on March 02, 2012, 09:45:08 AM
Looks like Grice is doing a good job at Cap. OWU faces them on the 7th. It will good to see how OWU matches up.

I think Grice has done a really good job making Cap competitive.  They can hit a little bit.  Their problem has still been arms.  They just don't have the depth that the top tier teams have.  Of course, you could say the exact same thing about basically half the conference every year.  But it's a process and Cap definitely seems to be better each year.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 02, 2012, 02:23:36 PM
Congrats on Otterbein for showing up in the also receiving votes for D3baseball's top 25.

http://www.d3baseball.com/top25/2012/2012week-1
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 03, 2012, 01:07:14 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 29, 2012, 08:53:57 PM
Quote from: motorman on February 29, 2012, 07:08:49 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2012, 07:32:31 PM
Quote from: motorman on January 24, 2012, 04:36:13 PM
D3.com preseason poll posted today. Marietta unanimous #1, Heidelberg #10. Hope Berg lives up to that ranking. Gonna be tough replacing 6 starting position players. Looks like a slap at the NCAC in that no one from their conference even received a single vote among the others receiving votes. 40 days till the first game in Florida.

I don't know if there's more pressure on any single player in the OAC than there is on Ricky Lizcano.  He's a stud and they need him to have a huge year because they're going to leaning on him big time with only Williams and the defensive heavy Martin back. 

Any Berg folks see anything during fall ball?  Is O'Driscoll going to be starting or perhaps taking Lowe's spot?  I'll say this...I wouldn't be surprised if Thomas is their #1 at some point this season if he stays healthy.  Holt, Nino, Thomas and O'Driscoll is a very solid staff.

Dr,

I think the plan is for O'Driscoll to move into Lowe's role. He closed all the fall games. Could be quite an adventure for Berg through the early part of the season because of injuries. Did you see Thomas pitch against Marietta at regionals or are you just going by what you heard? He needs to get some consistency but it looks like he could fulfill your prediction in the near future.

I wondered if that wouldn't be the case for O'Driscoll.  You can't blame Palm.  He's been spoiled with that ability to shorten the game with a great closer for years.  It certainly works for him so why change it?

I didn't see the Etta game at regionals.  I've followed him since HS because he's from Perry (I'm a Lake guy) so I knew he was lights out in a very good DI league.  You don't do what he did without being very good.  Maybe my prediction was partially me being a homer, but I still stand by it!  He'll be a good one.

Who's injured, motorman?  Hopefully nothing serious.

I don't think there is anything serious but I'm not going to get specific or coach palm might revoke my membership as a Berg booster. All should be back in a couple of weeks as far as I know. You just have to look at the box scores for the first 5 games and you will see who doesn't play.

One thing I will say is that Lizcano's new position is not due to any injury. Just a way to get the more experienced bats in the lineup.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2012, 08:39:26 AM
Cap improves to 5-2 with a solid win over Adrian yesterday, 13-11.  Two competitive games w/ the Bulldogs is a good sign early.

Motorman, definitely don't wanna upset Palm!  The only reason I asked was because if it was someone other than Lizcano/Williams the non-Berg people wouldn't even know that the intended starter is missing.  As you said, the box score will answer it soon enough though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 03, 2012, 10:53:41 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2012, 08:39:26 AM
Cap improves to 5-2 with a solid win over Adrian yesterday, 13-11.  Two competitive games w/ the Bulldogs is a good sign early.

Motorman, definitely don't wanna upset Palm!  The only reason I asked was because if it was someone other than Lizcano/Williams the non-Berg people wouldn't even know that the intended starter is missing.  As you said, the box score will answer it soon enough though.
No, its not Lizcano or Williams. All pitching. Don't think it is a secret Lizcano spent most of the fall at SS or 1B. Probably see freshman at the corners with Lizcano and Staab up the middle. OF will probably be Williams, Squibb and either Colatruglio or Blystone although there was another freshman transfer that I hear is impressing in the OF but didn't see him since he wasn't there in the fall.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 03, 2012, 06:20:58 PM
Marietta opens up the 2012 season with a DH sweep of Rhodes 11-5 and 12-0.  The Etta Express returns to action tomorrow for game 3 of their weekend trip at Rhodes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2012, 06:40:24 PM
Ott split with Thiel today in Westerville.  They're 3-1 now.

Cap beat John Jay (again) and Medaille to wrap up their trip 7-2. 

Tomorrow's the big day with basically everyone aside from Ott getting under way down south.  Etta played today and BW is playing now, but everyone else starts tomorrow. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2012, 04:19:11 PM
My Raiders got off to a nice start sweeping an (almost) top 25 team in Bridgewater today.  4-3 wins in both games.  Solid starts from Smith and Murzynski.  Bridgewater was 8-1 and 26th in the most recent poll, so good wins for MUC.  That pretty much ends my knowledge of the 2012 team.  I knew they had 2 decent starters.  And that they're young everywhere else.  Should be interesting.

To no one's surprise BW beat up on John Jay last night.  Jackets are 4-1 after winning 23-3 and 8-0 (final after 5).

Here's a surprise though...Berg opened the season with a freshman clean up hitter AND starting pitcher.  Lizcano is hitting 3rd and playing SS.  Seem to be a lot of freshmen and sophomores in the lineup.  Berg trails 3-0 in the 4th currently.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 04, 2012, 06:13:42 PM
Berg loses to All American Brendan Close and Moravian 5-2. Lizcano 1 for 3 I believe. Freshman Ryan Minteer did an admirable job and Berg was even in hits 7-7 I think, just couldn't get the key hits to drive in runs. Defense could have helped out the freshman. First 3 runs were earned, but should not have scored. Lizcano dropped a ball making a tag on a steal attempt that wasn't an easy play, but would have kept all 3 off the board if play was made. Last 2 runs were both unearned. Not sure who is starting on the mound tomorrow, but Chris Thomas slated to go on Tuesday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on March 04, 2012, 09:30:33 PM
Etta completed sweep of Rhodes with 14-1 win, improving to 3-0. outscoring Rhodes in the series 37-6. Team is batting .385 at the moment with a 1.67 ERA. Head to Georgia in a week to take on Piedmont
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2012, 03:42:35 PM
JCU gets swept and drops to 0-5.  They have Medaille and Bluffton (again) coming up.  Need to win a couple of these to get some confidence.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2012, 03:48:04 PM
Couple random coaching thoughts...

Anyone have any idea why Dave Ewing is at Cap now?  That guy was the pitching coach at Ott forever.  Now he's at the enemy?!

Second, anyone take a look at ONU's new staff?  I like the playing pedigree.  Tons of professional experience.  But very limited coaching experience.  And no collegiate coaching experience.  Baseball is baseball.  Those guys have played at the highest levels so they know the game.  Just curious how the other pieces of being a college coach will go.  Time will tell.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 05, 2012, 06:32:12 PM
Berg beats Medaille 5-4. Winning run scores on error on misplayed pop up in 7th inning. Bats still not singing yet. Scored 5 runs on 4 hits. Double by freshman Jordan Rheinhart to lead off 7th started the winning rally, driven in on SF by Soph. LF Ben Blystone. Elvin Williams goes 3 2/3 innings in his first start on the mound in a year, win in relief goes to Senior Daniel Brannum.

Yesterdays starting lineup, as noted by Dr. Acula had 4 freshman at 1B, 3B, P and DH. 3 soph at LF, RF and 2B, 1 junior at C, and 2 seniors at SS and CF. Had to expect that with 6 senior position players graduating.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2012, 08:22:00 AM
MUC splits w/ Clark (MA) yesterday.  3-1 on the young season.  I'm interested to see how their next game goes against #22 Thomas More.  Good test early.

ONU is off to a tough start dropping to 0-3 after taking a couple lopsided losses yesterday.  Bears went down 15-4 to Widener and had a concerning 12-3 loss to Hiram.  Way too early to panic obviously, but getting taken to the wood shed by the Terriers is not a good sign at any point in any season.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2012, 12:20:40 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 03, 2012, 01:07:14 AM
I don't think there is anything serious but I'm not going to get specific or coach palm might revoke my membership as a Berg booster. All should be back in a couple of weeks as far as I know. You just have to look at the box scores for the first 5 games and you will see who doesn't play.

One thing I will say is that Lizcano's new position is not due to any injury. Just a way to get the more experienced bats in the lineup.

Berg down 9-1 to Widener late.  Through basically 3 games now we have seen no Holt, Nino, Thomas or O'Driscoll.  That drastically changes the expectations in FL to me.  Those are all quality arms being counted on.  And with a green lineup we're kind of getting what I would expect thus far given the situation.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 06, 2012, 12:24:57 PM
Mount Union Mentioned as one of "also getting votes" in D3baseball.com top 25. They received 10 Votes

http://www.d3baseball.com/top25/2012/2012week-2

2012 D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 week 2

Through games of Sunday, March 4

#    School (1st votes)    Rec    Pts    Prev.
1    Marietta (25)    3-0    625    1
2    Kean    6-2    554    3
3    Christopher Newport    9-2    538    4
4    Trinity (Texas)    14-2    484    9
5    Linfield    7-3    483    2
6    UW-Whitewater    0-0    461    5
7    UW-Stevens Point    2-0    445    8
8    Eastern Connecticut    4-0    436    7
9    Salisbury    7-2    434    6
10    Piedmont    9-2    328    15
11    Adrian    6-1    247    -
12    Heidelberg    0-1    238    10
13    Rowan    6-0    236    25
14    Keystone    1-1    232    17
15    Carthage    0-0    227    18
16    Wheaton (Mass.)    0-0    222    19
17    Western New England    2-1    219    14
18    Concordia (Texas)    14-4    180    23
19    Texas-Tyler    12-3    172    24
20    Alvernia    1-3-1    140    12
21    Chapman    6-7    124    11
22    Thomas More    0-0    123    21
23    Shenandoah    7-4    121    22
24    Cortland State    2-3    115    20
25    St. Thomas    2-0    109    -

Dropped Out: No. 13 St. Scholastica, No. 16 Buena Vista.

Also receiving votes: Cal Lutheran 90, Misericordia 60, Coe 53, Bridgewater (Va.) 51, Illinois Wesleyan 44, Ramapo 40, Tufts 38, Augustana 36, Aurora 35, Huntingdon 30, St. John Fisher 21, Neumann 17, DePauw 15, St. Scholastica 14, Brockport State 11, Buena Vista 10, La Verne 10, Mount Union 10, Pomona-Pitzer 9, Case Western Reserve 9, Johns Hopkins 6, UW-Oshkosh 5, Bridgewater State 4, Amherst 3, Washington U. 3, Birmingham-Southern 3, Millsaps 2, Rhodes 1, Hope 1, Loras 1.

The D3baseball.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Full members of NCAA Division III are eligible.

Congrats Dr. Acula
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 06, 2012, 12:26:28 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2012, 12:20:40 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 03, 2012, 01:07:14 AM
I don't think there is anything serious but I'm not going to get specific or coach palm might revoke my membership as a Berg booster. All should be back in a couple of weeks as far as I know. You just have to look at the box scores for the first 5 games and you will see who doesn't play.

One thing I will say is that Lizcano's new position is not due to any injury. Just a way to get the more experienced bats in the lineup.

Berg down 9-1 to Widener late.  Through basically 3 games now we have seen no Holt, Nino, Thomas or O'Driscoll.  That drastically changes the expectations in FL to me.  Those are all quality arms being counted on.  And with a green lineup we're kind of getting what I would expect thus far given the situation.   

Is that the Same Widener that lost to Kenyon 15-5?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: baseballfan5 on March 06, 2012, 12:59:23 PM
Marietta ranked number 1 for thrid staright week.  Scored looked unfair against rhodes and rumor was Blaski lights out on the mound consistant 90+.  Could be long year in OAC
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 06, 2012, 01:30:00 PM
Quote from: baseballfan5 on March 06, 2012, 12:59:23 PM
Marietta ranked number 1 for thrid staright week.  Scored looked unfair against rhodes and rumor was Blaski lights out on the mound consistant 90+.  Could be long year in OAC

I guess "Long Year" depends on the side of the field you sit.   ;D 

For the Pioneers sake, I hope it is very long, concluding on the last day in Appleton.

It is good to see Mt. Union off to a good start.  While no offense is intended to the 'Berg faithful, my expectation was for a drop off from the past two seasons (Marietta will see some next year after Becker, Saunders, Blaski, Gasser, Mahaffey, Langdon all graduate.)   I don't know how you lose the level of talent and skill they had, and not take some sort of step backwards. 

I don't know if we know how strong Rhodes is yet, but from the radio broadcast, they seemed sloppy, made several mistakes, and their pitching was not particularly strong (and the Pio's went against their top three guys).  The game on Saturday vs. Piedmont will be telling for MC.  That should be a good early season indication of how good Marietta might be this year. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2012, 01:44:34 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on March 06, 2012, 12:26:28 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2012, 12:20:40 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 03, 2012, 01:07:14 AM
I don't think there is anything serious but I'm not going to get specific or coach palm might revoke my membership as a Berg booster. All should be back in a couple of weeks as far as I know. You just have to look at the box scores for the first 5 games and you will see who doesn't play.

One thing I will say is that Lizcano's new position is not due to any injury. Just a way to get the more experienced bats in the lineup.

Berg down 9-1 to Widener late.  Through basically 3 games now we have seen no Holt, Nino, Thomas or O'Driscoll.  That drastically changes the expectations in FL to me.  Those are all quality arms being counted on.  And with a green lineup we're kind of getting what I would expect thus far given the situation.   

Is that the Same Widener that lost to Kenyon 15-5?

Yes, lost to Kenyon.  They've beaten Berg (9-6), ONU (14-4) and Hiram (9-8).  4-3 overall.

For the rest of the OAC it's a shame Etta is so loaded because it really seems like the conference could be wide open 2nd-10th. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on March 06, 2012, 08:36:20 PM
Marietta actually plays Piedmont Friday and Saturday this weekend on their way to Fla. and the following Saturday as well on their way home from Fla.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on March 06, 2012, 11:11:28 PM
Langdon isn't graduating this year for Marietta, he is only a Junior
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 06, 2012, 11:58:18 PM
Berg split today, losing to Widener 9-6 and beating Wheaton 9-8 in 10 innings. Soph Karl Boedecker made first varsity appearance, starting the first game. Went 2+ innings and gave up 4 earned runs, followed by freshman Travis Gray who gave up 3 more in 2 innings putting Berg in a 7-1 hole after 4. Finally got some bats going in the 8th plating 5 runs featuring an RBI triple by Lizcano who was 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs. Jordan Martin 3 for 4, Elvin Williams 2 for 5 and freshman Steve Kisan 2 for 3. However, that was the end of the scoring.

Second game Berg wins after 7 solid innings, allowing 4 earned runs by Chris Thomas, much needed by a depleted bullpen. 4 Ks and 3 BBs and he departed with a 6-5 lead. However, the bullpen could not hold onto the lead, giving up the tying run in the 8th. Berg bounced back with 2 in the bottom of 8th, but again the pen allowed the tying runs. Junior Teddy Lowe got the win with a 1-2-3 10th inning after Lizcano hit a monster shot off the wall with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the inning. Lizcano again 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs, freshman Eric Monroe 2 for 4 and junior Lashon Long 2 for 4. Elvin Williams chipped in 2 RBIs while going 1 for 4.

Dr. Acula was correct, we won't see Holt or Nino down here, but hope to be ready for the start of conference action. I said the pitching situation was going to be quite interesting down here. Bats have started to pick up some today, hopefully they can help out the inexperience pitching staff until the top 2 get back.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2012, 08:23:40 AM
MUC drops an 8-3 decision to Thomas More yesterday.  3-2 overall.  By my count the Raiders started a senior, 3 sophs and a freshman on the hill thus far.  This team is VERY sophomore heavy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 07, 2012, 05:24:46 PM
Berg wins today over Bluffton 5-4. Complete game by Tyler Fruwirth in the victory, 7 Ks and 1 BB. Offense led by Elvin Williams 2 for 4 with and RBI, and Ross Pruitt 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Berg jumped on top for a change with 3 in the first on 2 walks and 3 hit batters and 2 RBI single by Pruitt, added a single run in the 3rd. Bluffton tied it with 2 in the 2nd and single runs in the 5th and 6th. Berg scores winning run in the 7th after lead off single by freshman Steve Kisan who stole 2nd and scored from 2nd on a wild pitch. Head into the day off at 3-2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2012, 11:00:34 PM
It was beautiful outside today in Columbus so I was happy to see both Ott and Cap got games in this afternoon here.  Cap held on to beat OWU 7-6 on the road.  They're now 8-2. 

Ott swept Grove City in a couple of blow outs.  Meadows had a big day with a couple homers and a couple doubles.  Cards are 5-1.

Still in FL were ONU who got their first 2 W's easily against Finlandia and BW who beat Moravian 12-4 to go to 6-2 overall.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2012, 08:12:45 PM
Looks like it was a pretty good day for the OAC today.

JCU (3-5) swept Medaille today 10-0 and 4-3.  The Streaks have won 3 straight after starting slowly.

ONU (3-3) has also won 3 straight now after a 7-2 win over Merchant Marine.

MUC (4-2) beat Mt. Aloysius 18-6.  According to Twitter the Raiders were 1 off the NCAA record as they registered 12 straight hits in an inning.  They had 27 in all. 

BW (7-2) got a good start from Scott (6 IP, 1 R, 6 K) and beat Bluffton 3-1.

The only blemish so far was Moravian beating Musky (3-2) in a close game 6-4.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2012, 02:33:04 PM
Mount swept Trine this morning 2-1 and 4-2.  No box scores yet, but it would have been Smith and Murzynski's turn in the rotation again so hopefully this signals a 2nd good start for both of them.  Raiders are 6-2 and wrap up down south tomorrow against Wentworth.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 09, 2012, 02:57:38 PM
Berg goes to 4-2 by avenging the opening game loss to Moravian, winning 4-2. Freshman Ryan Minteer goes 5 2/3 and gives up both runs. Teddy Lowe goes 2 1/3 to get the win in relief and go to 2-0 on the season. Daniel Brannum picks up his first save with a scoreless 9th. Hitting was all done by the bottom half of the lineup. Stars at the plate were freshman Steve Kisan, 3 for 4  with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI, with both a double and a triple. Senior Ross Pruitt also 3 for 4 with 3 singles and an RBI and sophomore SS Andrew Zenczak, 2 for 4 with and RBI.

Moravian struck first with a single run in the bottom of the first, Berg tied it in the top of the 5th. Moravian put another on the board in the bottom of the 6th, but Berg answered immediately with 1 in the top of the 7th. Freshman Eric Monroe led off the top of the 9th with a pinch hit single, was run for by freshman Trevor Oldham who advance to 2nd on a balk and was sacrificed to 3rd. Kisan then drove a hit to right center to plate the winning run. Pruitt followed with his 3rd single and after the 2nd out of the inning, Zenczak provided an insurance run with a line single to right.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2012, 02:15:18 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2012, 02:33:04 PM
Mount swept Trine this morning 2-1 and 4-2.  No box scores yet, but it would have been Smith and Murzynski's turn in the rotation again so hopefully this signals a 2nd good start for both of them.  Raiders are 6-2 and wrap up down south tomorrow against Wentworth.

It was indeed Smith and Murzynski throwing well yesterday.  Carlino had a great start today tossing 6 shut out innings in an 11-4 win.  MUC heads home at 7-2. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 10, 2012, 11:18:12 PM
Berg dropped one to Denison today 9-5. Berg took lead in the 2nd on single by freshman DH Austin Fleming , 2 Denison errors and an RBI single by sophomore 2B Joe Staab. Denison jumped on top with 2 unearned runs in the 4th and 3 more, 2 of which were earned in the 5th. Berg got freshman Bryan Peters off the hook by tying the game in the bottom of the 7th when after 2 walks and a single by Fleming were followed by a wild pitch and a balk and an RBI single by senior Ross Pruitt. The tie was short lived however when the bullpen allowed 4 runs in the top of the 8th to end the scoring.

Soph LF Arneal Squibb was 2 for 5 with a triple, and freshman Fleming was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored. Senior SS Ricky Lizcano was tossed after an at bat in the 3rd in which he was hit by a pitch on the back of the hand, however the umpire errantly ruled the ball came off the bat before hitting his hand.

Berg has 2 tomorrow vs Montclair State at 11 and Ohio Wesleyan at 3
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 12, 2012, 11:08:47 AM
Berg split yesterday, beating Montclair State 8-6 and falling to Ohio Wesleyan 7-0. Nearly gave up an 8-1 lead to Montclair State allowing 3 in the 7th and 2 in the 8th before senior Ross Pruitt shut the door getting the final out of the 8th and pitching a scoreless 9th for the save. And this was after going 4 for 5 at the plate with a double and an RBI after starting in right field. Sophomore Joe Chiarappa was 2 for 5 in his first start at 2B, Elvin Williams 2 for 4, Ricky Lizcano hit his first HR of the season, freshman Steve Kisan 2 for 4 with a double, and junior Jordan Martin 2 for 5 with a double. Starter Karl Boedecker only went 3+ innings so I believe the win went to junior Teddy Lowe who has 3 of the Berg's 5 victories thus far.

The second game was quite forgettable after a half hour bus ride from one park to another. Sophomore Chris Thomas gave up 12 hits, half of them doubles in 8 1/3 innings and the offense never woke up. No Berg batter managed more than 1 hit and OWU starter faced the minimum through 5 innings thanks to 2 double plays. Varsity plays final game of spring trip vs Rhodes at noon today. Unfortunately I am back in Ohio and not there to watch it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 12, 2012, 02:54:02 PM
Berg loses last game of the Florida trip 6-4 to Rhodes. Not nearly as succesful a voyage as last year as they return home 5-5. Berg's 9 hits concentrated among 4 players with 2 hits apiece by soph 2B Joe Chiarappa with a double and triple, Ricky Lizcano 2 singles, soph Arneal Squibb with a single and triple, and freshman Trevor Oldham with a double and single. Junior starter Tyler Fruhwirth went 6 2/3 giving up 6 runs, only 3 earned with 6 Ks and 2 BBs. Next games Friday and 2 on Saturday at Manchester in Indiana.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on March 12, 2012, 06:18:27 PM
Mo-man, thanks for updating the Berg. Gramps took care of that the last 4 years. Had to give you +K and get you off the goose egg.

Hopefully they get their 2 top arms back for OAC play. I think the hitting will come around. Its hard to maintain the level of play after losing a great senior class.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 12, 2012, 07:14:30 PM
Quote from: old scot on March 12, 2012, 06:18:27 PM
Mo-man, thanks for updating the Berg. Gramps took care of that the last 4 years. Had to give you +K and get you off the goose egg.

Hopefully they get their 2 top arms back for OAC play. I think the hitting will come around. Its hard to maintain the level of play after losing a great senior class.

Thanks oldscot,

Gramps was definitely one of the best, taught me everything he knew. That is the hope that they are back for conference games. Don't know what I ever did to get negative karma in the first place, but somebody else got me back to zero. Appreciate you getting me into positive territory. Hopefully the boys get the ship righted after this tough beginning in Florida.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2012, 10:28:57 PM
I got you back to even and I'll give ya another +K.  No idea what would have given you negative karma in the 1st place.  Your posts are usually factual in nature.  It's not like you come on here torching coaches or players!

As for the Berg, they're SO young because of that huge senior class last year.  It appears as though Palm is really just trying to get a feel for what he's got with the young kids.  Shuffling in some different guys.  It seems Kisan is a staple already and playing well.  But I think Pruitt has been the story of the season thus far for them.  Who expected to get that from him offensively?!  Good programs find a way I guess.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2012, 10:33:31 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 12, 2012, 07:14:30 PM
Quote from: old scot on March 12, 2012, 06:18:27 PM
Mo-man, thanks for updating the Berg. Gramps took care of that the last 4 years. Had to give you +K and get you off the goose egg.

Hopefully they get their 2 top arms back for OAC play. I think the hitting will come around. Its hard to maintain the level of play after losing a great senior class.

Thanks oldscot,

Gramps was definitely one of the best, taught me everything he knew. That is the hope that they are back for conference games. Don't know what I ever did to get negative karma in the first place, but somebody else got me back to zero. Appreciate you getting me into positive territory. Hopefully the boys get the ship righted after this tough beginning in Florida.

I'm sad that Gramps isn't around as much now.  Traded numerous emails with him the past couple of years, talked with him at games a few times.  Just a nice guy that loves watching and talking baseball.  You can never have too many of those guys on the board.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 13, 2012, 12:05:35 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2012, 10:28:57 PM
I got you back to even and I'll give ya another +K.  No idea what would have given you negative karma in the 1st place.  Your posts are usually factual in nature.  It's not like you come on here torching coaches or players!

As for the Berg, they're SO young because of that huge senior class last year.  It appears as though Palm is really just trying to get a feel for what he's got with the young kids.  Shuffling in some different guys.  It seems Kisan is a staple already and playing well.  But I think Pruitt has been the story of the season thus far for them.  Who expected to get that from him offensively?!  Good programs find a way I guess.   

Quite right Dr., Kisan has had a few problems, mainly throws from 3B but his offense has been great. Pruitt has been a really pleasant surprise. We were joking he is making a bid for that All American Utility position. He has been making great contact, heard from one of the pitchers he really hated pitching to him live. Rare to see a kid who has been a pitcher only get a chance to play in the field and come through so well. Another surprise has been Teddy Lowe. Doesn't quite have the stuff of big brother Andy but is doing a great job. A great sign of team unity, they coined a phrase for Teddy's success. Instead of Linsanity we are going through Tedsanity at the Berg.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 13, 2012, 07:57:36 AM
The Pioneers tried to give one away in the eighth and ninth innings to Dennison but held on to win 5-4.  Mahaffey pitched a gem allowing only 2 unearned runs.  Blaski picked up the save. 

Dennison committed 7 errors in the game and 4 of the pioneer runs were unearned. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: DUBBALL15 on March 13, 2012, 10:06:57 AM
Was listening to it on the radio seemed like an exciting finish.  Hoping our defense plays better on Wednesday to go along with our pitching so it can be just as good as a game as this one was. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 13, 2012, 01:23:49 PM
Marietta handily defeats Montclair State 12-2.  Mulvey (#4 Starter) was the starter for the Pioneers who gave up 4 hits in 7 innings and NO walks and one earned run (other was unearned).  The Pioneer bats woke up today pounding out 15 hits.  MSU committed three errors, MC, 1 error. 

Park 3-4, Coffey 3-3, Becker 2-4 Brockmeir 2-5. 

MC is now  6-1.

If I had to guess at the starters for the rest of the spring trip:

Wed 3/14 vs. Dennison: Blaski
Thurs 3/15 vs Montclair State: Logan Lewis/Luke Langdon
Thurs 3/15 vs Wooster: Gasser (in region games are more important)
Friday 3/16 vs Rowan: Mahaffey (pitched Monday)
Saturday 3/17 vs. Piedmont:  Mulvey (Pitched Tuesday)

I'll probably be completely wrong.  Which wouldn't be the first time today.
F
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2012, 05:41:06 PM
MUC had the home opener today.  Hosted Allegheny who was playing their first games of the season.  Raiders swept 8-2 and 9-8.  They're 9-2 overall now.  They tried to give away the 2nd game (literally).  Up 8-3 in the 6th and started kicking it around giving up unearned runs and letting Gheny tie it.  Luckily Carlino erased his error with a walk off single in the 7th so all is well in A-town.

p.s. Smith came in in relief and picked up the win.  I need to look at their schedule because I'm not sure why they brought in their #1 out of the pen in a non-conference game in Mid March.  Maybe he needed work, who knows?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OnuAlumni25 on March 14, 2012, 08:34:47 AM
ONU struggled yesterday with their known enemy, themselves!  It seems like yearly, ONU's defensive struggles continue to wipe out their chances of winning.  It also doesn't help when you only put up one run, but 4 errors is quite unacceptable. 

Albion walked into their second victory of the season.  ONU drops to 3-6 overall.

Seemed like Matt Magni (onu SP) pitched very well for 5 innings before tiring after 75 pitches.  Pitching in Ada is a bit different than pitching in Florida! 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 14, 2012, 08:59:46 AM
I did not realize that Matt Magni was at ONU. Son played with him several times. It is good to know he is still playing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2012, 10:03:11 AM
Quote from: OnuAlumni25 on March 14, 2012, 08:34:47 AM
ONU struggled yesterday with their known enemy, themselves!  It seems like yearly, ONU's defensive struggles continue to wipe out their chances of winning.  It also doesn't help when you only put up one run, but 4 errors is quite unacceptable. 

Albion walked into their second victory of the season.  ONU drops to 3-6 overall.

Seemed like Matt Magni (onu SP) pitched very well for 5 innings before tiring after 75 pitches.  Pitching in Ada is a bit different than pitching in Florida!

There was no worse feeling than the first time you pitched up here.  I used to throw and throw and never feel like my arm was loose.  Felt like you were throwing a billiards ball!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 14, 2012, 01:27:04 PM
Marietta College improves to 7-1 with a 2-1 victory over the Big Red of Dennision. 

Blaski pitched 7.0 innings, allowed no runs, struck out 11.  Unfortunately he gets a no decision in the game.  Logan Lewis pitched two innings in relief, giving up a home run, a walk and striking out three.  In total, Dennison struck out 14 times.  Early in the game Dennison got a lead off triple (4th inning) and Blaski went on to strike out the next three guys he faced. 

Hopper had an RBI double in the third, Saunders and RBI double in the 8th. 

The Dennison Pitcher threw a dandy game.  Striking out 6 (I think). Dennison played MUCH cleaner baseball than on Monday. 

Next up for the Pios, another game with Montclair State and a matchup with traditional NCAC power Wooster.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 15, 2012, 01:30:45 PM
Montclair State defeats a (shorthanded) Marietta College team 4-0 in the pioneer's first game. 

Marietta gave up three unearned runs early and one earned run late.  Langdon took the loss after 7 good innings.  Tim Saunders and Kirby Becker (senior middle infielders) both sat out this game.  The two errors which cost Marietta three runs were comitted by the freshman middle infielders.  Saunders' and Becker's bats were also missed in this game.  Marietta started 4 freshman defensive players on the day.  In the pregame interview, Coach Brewer mentioned they had some guys break team rules and were short handed.  Just assuming Saunders and Becker were the guilty parties.

Take nothing away from the Montclair starter who was on his game.  He struck out 9 pioneer batters. 

Marietta falls to 7-2 on the season and will face Wooster later today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 15, 2012, 03:58:54 PM
^^^^^ unfortunately the two seniors are also sitting out the get-away game vs Wooster as well...the good news is that Gasser is on the hill, as the Pioneers try to salvage a split on the day.

Gasser is mowing them down through 5, but the bats aren't getting the big 2- out hit that is a huge part of the offense.

Tied 0-0
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 15, 2012, 04:13:52 PM
And just like that Wooster gets a 2 run homer to take the lead.

Marietta just can't get the offense going today at all, facing Aces for both Montclair St and Wooster.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on March 15, 2012, 04:43:04 PM
 Hats off to coach Brewer. It is refreshing to see a coach stand pat and discipline his team , no matter who breaks the rules. I love the fact that team comes before W's and L's.

D1 coaches should pay more attention to this fact.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 15, 2012, 04:53:11 PM
Wooster 6-0, Final

Gasser gave up two runs, both earned.  12K's.

Marietta's offense didn't show up at all today.  18 innings of baseball NO runs.   Not having Becker and Saunders in the lineup was devastating to the team today both offensively and defensively.  They are good hitters.  They are seniors and are rock solid defensively (may not be a better middle infield combo in D3).

Marietta had a runners in scoring position in 6 innings today and could not get them in. 

Disappointing.  Extremely disappointing today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2012, 10:55:12 PM
Ott sweeps Elms down in FL.  9-3 overall now.

Cap loses a tough one at Witt, 8-7.  That would have been a nice win for Cap as Witt is now 10-1 (albeit against not great competition).  Cap is 9-5 now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OnuAlumni25 on March 16, 2012, 01:56:08 PM
I wish more fans would stand up and put their foot down in college programs.  It is refreshing to see that one of the better teams in the nation does it.  Hopefully more will follow!  Good for him!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 16, 2012, 07:24:23 PM
Berg beats Manchester 6-5 in first game of a 3 game weekend series. Every Berg starter but 1 had a hit, lead by freshman SS Steve Kisan with a 3 for 4 day that included his first collegiate homerun, 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Also chipping in 2 singles apiece were senior CF Elvin Williams, soph RF Arneal Squibb and freshman 3B Trevor Oldham. Freshman Ryan Minteer gets the win, pitching 7 innings allowing 5 runs all earned with 4 Ks and 3 BBs. Junior Teddy Lowe pitched 2 scoreless innings for his first save of the year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2012, 06:57:44 PM
Mount needs to call down to FL because they evidently left their bats down there.  They get swept 3-1 and 5-1 by always pedestrian Westminster.  Not good.  Witt comes to Alliance tomorrow so they need to figure it out fast because the Tigers are always better than Westminster, but may be more so this year. 

Overall, not a great day for the OAC.  Musky got pounded twice by Penn St. Behrend.  ONU lost to DePauw once already.  Ott lost this morning.  Berg split with Manchester I believe.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 17, 2012, 11:11:39 PM
The pioneers finished their spring swing with a win friday night against #6 Rowan in walk off fashion. Braden park hit a walk off single.  Mahaffey was stellar again. The concluded their spring trip today with a 1-0 win over #10 piedmont. The pios scored their lone run in the top of the ninth.  Mulvey threw seven scoreless innings in a no decision. Blaski came in in the eighth and got the win.

The pioneers return home with a 9-3 record. It includes three wins over top ten teams.  The pitching staff is ridiculous again. Three starters have era's under 1.00 (blaski, mahaffey, and mulvey) The team era is under two.  Opponents are batting .195 and have an bop of .278.

Offense has struggled a little bit in the last four games or so.

They will probably rightyfully not be rated #1 in the next poll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 18, 2012, 04:54:49 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2012, 06:57:44 PM
Mount needs to call down to FL because they evidently left their bats down there.  They get swept 3-1 and 5-1 by always pedestrian Westminster.  Not good.  Witt comes to Alliance tomorrow so they need to figure it out fast because the Tigers are always better than Westminster, but may be more so this year. 

Overall, not a great day for the OAC.  Musky got pounded twice by Penn St. Behrend.  ONU lost to DePauw once already.  Ott lost this morning.  Berg split with Manchester I believe.   

Yes the good Dr. is correct. Berg loses to Manchester in the first game 10-4 before pounding out a 15-4 win in the rubber game of the series. Chris Thomas started and took the loss in the first contest going 5 2/3 innings and allowing 7 runs, all earned on 6 hits with 4 Ks and 5 BBs. The offense was led by Ross Pruitt going 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored and Ricky Lizcano who was 4 for 5  with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs.

In the nightcap Tyler Fruhwirth was the starter and winner going 7 solid innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits. The Berg offense included hits by 11 different players. Ross Pruitt was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored, freshman DH Trevor Oldham was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and freshman 1B Eric Monroe was 2 for 3 with his first career homer and 4 RBIs. Ricky Lizcano added his second homerun, 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Berg fell behind 1-0 on a solo home run in the first but bounced back with 2 in the second on a 2 run single by freshman catcher Alex Grove. Manchester tied it in the bottom of the 2nd on an unearned run, but the Berg put the game away with 5 spots in both the 4th and 6th innings. The 4th featured a 2 run HR by Monroe and then a 3 run HR by Lizcano. The 6th was powered by a 2 run single by soph RF Arneal Squibb and a 2 run double by freshman 3B Steve Kisan.

Next for Heidelberg are games at Denison Tuesday and home vs Ohio Wesleyan Wednesday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 18, 2012, 09:56:17 PM
THE BERG'S GAME AT DENISON ON TUES AT 6:00 PM WILL ON LIVE VIDEO.  TO SEE THE GAME, GO TO DENISON'S WEB SITE, CLICK ON SCHEDULE AND CLICK ON VIDEO.  OR CLICK ON AT 5:55 PM:

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/denison.portal#

ENJOY THE GAME.  GRAMPS
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 19, 2012, 11:56:50 AM
Mount split with Witt yesterday.  Dropped the opener 12-4.  Salvaged a split 8-6.  Connor Mathis has been tearing it up this season in the 3 hole.  He's only a soph so that's great to see.  The pitching after Smith and Murzynski continues to be a little up and down.  Raiders are 10-5, but the OAC grind is going to be tough to navigate unless they find some consistency beyond those 2 pitchers.

p.s. Looking around at some rosters is it just me or does it seems like aside from Etta there are very few seniors playing big roles this year?  Berg has a couple, Mount has one, BW I think has a couple, Cap has none, Ott has one I think.  Just seems like a lot of youth around the conference so far.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2012, 11:19:51 AM
BW played in some AMCC-OAC challenge at LaRoche last weekend.  They went 4-0 and are now 13-2 overall.  Pat Havens is on his way to a big year.  He's now 4-0 with and ERA under 1.50 thus far. 

The Jackets made an appearance in the Others Receiving Votes of the top 25 this week along with Ott and the Berg.  Etta is #2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 20, 2012, 01:33:52 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2012, 06:57:44 PM
Mount needs to call down to FL because they evidently left their bats down there.  They get swept 3-1 and 5-1 by always pedestrian Westminster.  Not good.   Witt comes to Alliance tomorrow so they need to figure it out fast because the Tigers are always better than Westminster, but may be more so this year. 

Overall, not a great day for the OAC.  Musky got pounded twice by Penn St. Behrend.  ONU lost to DePauw once already.  Ott lost this morning.  Berg split with Manchester I believe.   

Hey now.  My alma mater was in the ORV of the Top 25 which isn't all that pedestrian.   8-)   ;)   

I know the Titans have been pedestrian or worse on the diamond since my days in New Wilmington (early 90's), but they just might compete in the PrAC this year. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 21, 2012, 12:58:30 AM
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MISSED THE BERG - BIG RED GAME TUES EVENING, YOU CAN GO TO THE DENISON WEBSITE, CLICK ON THE "ON DEMAND" BUTTON AND WATCH THE REPLAYED GAME.
I WON'T POST THE SCORE SO THAT YOU MAY ENJOY THE EXCITEMENT OF THE GAME.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 21, 2012, 08:21:25 AM
Gramps thats good to know. I will be in Tiffin this afternoon to watch OWU play Heidelberg.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OnuAlumni25 on March 21, 2012, 08:36:16 AM
Down go the Polar Bears again... to Bluffton this time.  It has to be rough for the first year coach to take.  Bright spots yesterday had to be Hampshire- 3 doubles, and Belliveau- 1 HR 4 RBIs.

The Bears started strong, leading 4-2 after 5.  Bryce Sedio had a rough game on the hill- going only 1/3 of an inning and allowing 4 hits and 4 runs. 

The Northern defense was once again disappointing, as they allowed 4 errors. 

That makes 39 errors in only 13 games.....  Its rough to keep listening to these games!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on March 21, 2012, 09:17:37 AM
So does anybody have word on holt and nino's injuries for Heidelberg? When are they expected to throw again? Also Driscoll?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2012, 10:41:46 AM
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 20, 2012, 01:33:52 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2012, 06:57:44 PM
Mount needs to call down to FL because they evidently left their bats down there.  They get swept 3-1 and 5-1 by always pedestrian Westminster.  Not good.   Witt comes to Alliance tomorrow so they need to figure it out fast because the Tigers are always better than Westminster, but may be more so this year. 

Overall, not a great day for the OAC.  Musky got pounded twice by Penn St. Behrend.  ONU lost to DePauw once already.  Ott lost this morning.  Berg split with Manchester I believe.   

Hey now.  My alma mater was in the ORV of the Top 25 which isn't all that pedestrian.   8-)   ;)   

I know the Titans have been pedestrian or worse on the diamond since my days in New Wilmington (early 90's), but they just might compete in the PrAC this year.

My alma mater has made an appearance there as well...and my alma mater is Mount.  So I take that ORV with a grain of salt!  Haha

I don't follow the PAC at all.  Is W&J any good these days?  Or is it TMC and everyone else?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2012, 10:43:31 AM
Quote from: OnuAlumni25 on March 21, 2012, 08:36:16 AM
Down go the Polar Bears again... to Bluffton this time.  It has to be rough for the first year coach to take.  Bright spots yesterday had to be Hampshire- 3 doubles, and Belliveau- 1 HR 4 RBIs.

The Bears started strong, leading 4-2 after 5.  Bryce Sedio had a rough game on the hill- going only 1/3 of an inning and allowing 4 hits and 4 runs. 

The Northern defense was once again disappointing, as they allowed 4 errors. 

That makes 39 errors in only 13 games.....  Its rough to keep listening to these games!

Yikes.  That's tough to overcome when you give that many extra outs.  Not to mention the pitchers are overjoyed to throw an extra inning's worth of pitches each game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 21, 2012, 11:44:11 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2012, 10:41:46 AM
My alma mater has made an appearance there as well...and my alma mater is Mount.  So I take that ORV with a grain of salt!  Haha

I don't follow the PAC at all.  Is W&J any good these days?  Or is it TMC and everyone else?
Touche...  ;D

As for the PrAC, I don't really follow it too closely either.  As you said, Westminster is usually quite pedestrian so I usually don't even pay much attention to how they are doing let alone the rest of the conference...  :P 

I was just a little shocked when I saw them show up in the ORV which is probably a first for that program.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 21, 2012, 10:07:17 PM
Quote from: ettanut4life on March 21, 2012, 09:17:37 AM
So does anybody have word on holt and nino's injuries for Heidelberg? When are they expected to throw again? Also Driscoll?

I haven't heard an update recently. Last I heard they were both hoping to be back for conference play. I don't know about O'Driscoll at all.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on March 21, 2012, 11:12:21 PM
any report on what their injuries are?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 22, 2012, 09:23:30 AM
All I know is that they did not play last night in the Loss to OWU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: DUBBALL15 on March 22, 2012, 09:33:56 AM
From what I understand they are hoping to be back in April.  Not sure of the extent of their injuries. 

They are a much different team when those 3 arms can throw.  Hoping they make a speedy recovery. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 25, 2012, 12:42:48 AM
Berg sweeps a pair from Case Western Reserve Saturday by scores of 14-7 and 7-2. Winning pitchers were Tyler Fruhwirth and Chris Thomas. Second game featured the first game action of the season by senior Sylvester Nino for an inning of relief.

The first game started with Case scoring 2 in the top of the first, but Berg answered by scoring multiple runs in each of the first 4 innings to take a 13-3 lead they would not relinquish. Berg offense banged out 17 hits led by 2B Joe Chiarappa's 4 for 5 day which included 2 doubles, 2 runs and 2 RBI. LF Ross Pruitt was 2 for 4 with a double, 2 runs and 3 RBI. SS Ricky Lizcano was 3 for 4 with 2 triples, 3 runs and 3 RBI. CF Elvin Williams was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Tyler Fruwirth improved to 3-1 with 7 strong innngs allowing 4 runs, all earned with 4 Ks and 2 BB.

The second game didn't feature the offensive fireworks of the first. The game was scoreless until the top of the 6th when Case pushed across an unearned run off Berg starter Chris Thomas. Heidelberg answered with a 5 spot in the bottom of the inning to take control. Thomas got his first collegiate win to go to 1-2, 6 innings with the 1 unearned run, 4 Ks and 3 BBs. Berg offense was led by 2 hits apiece by Pruit, Lizcano, and Williams. 2B Joe Chiarappa drove in 3 runs while adding 1 of the Berg's 9 hits.

Same teams play another later today at Case.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 25, 2012, 07:11:11 AM
FOR THE BERG FANS GOING TO THE CASE GAME IN CLEVELAND, THE GPS ADDRESS FOR THE BUILDING NEXT TO "NOBBY'S BALLPARK" IS "1611 EAST 115TH ST   CLEVELAND OHIO".  NOBBY'S BALLPARK DOES NOT HAVE AN ADDRESS. 

GO BERG!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: 108 Stitches on March 25, 2012, 11:01:12 AM
I wonder how anyone found a game before there was the Internet, bulletin boards, GPS's, and google earth.....

Ask Al Gore.

Enjoy the game!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2012, 11:04:02 AM
Mount swept Denison at home yesterday.  12-5 and 9-4.  Smith and Murzynski pick up the wins.  Solid game from Murzynski, but Smith struggled a little.  MUC is 12-5 overall w/ Hiram up next.  Denison had an awful defensive game against Cap earlier in the week and they had 9 errors yesterday.  Tough to beat anyone that way. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 25, 2012, 02:59:31 PM
I wonder just how good Denison could be if they could clean up their defense?  I've lost track how many games they've lost due to sloppy play in the field?

Nice sweep your your boys there doc.  MUC (or is is UMU) is off to a nice start to the season...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2012, 04:09:46 PM
Quote from: ScotsFan on March 25, 2012, 02:59:31 PM
I wonder just how good Denison could be if they could clean up their defense?  I've lost track how many games they've lost due to sloppy play in the field?

Nice sweep your your boys there doc.  MUC (or is is UMU) is off to a nice start to the season...

They had 5 more errors in a 3-2 loss to JCU today!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2012, 04:20:08 PM
OK, it looks like Denison played good D in their 2 close losses to Etta (1 total error).  In their other 10 losses they have 35 errors.  That's unreal.  4 losses with 5+ errors already.

As for Mount...I suppose it is technically UMU these days.  But I went to MUC.  My diploma says that.  So I'm being stubborn!  They're off to a decent start.  They're beating teams they should beat so far.  That's a positive given how young they are.  We'll see what happens in conference play in a week or so.  I'm still concerned about the pitching outside of 2 starters. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: DUBBALL15 on March 25, 2012, 06:06:20 PM
Looks like if they play decent Defense, they can compete with anybody but when they don't they can't compete at all. 

Lets hope something changes defensively so they can get ready for conference newcomer DePauw next weekend. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 25, 2012, 08:58:20 PM
Case finally beats Heidelberg today 9-4. After losing 7 straight to the Berg over the last 2 seasons they finally pull off a win. Not that I would brag too much when it took their #1 vs. Berg's #6 pitcher to do it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OnuAlumni25 on March 26, 2012, 08:45:46 AM
ONU beat Urbana U Saturday by a final score of 10-6. 

Still plagued by the error bug, they tallied 3 more errors vs the Blue Knights.  I think first year coach Gene Stechschulte is trying to score more runs than the other team and hope for not too many errors. 

This is Bergman's last recruiting year- which means next years freshman will be Stechschulte's.  I hope the team starts to turn around in the coming years!  From all of the guys I have talked to on the team, they say Stechschulte is a great on field manager, but needs work outside of game days. 

Overall-  I am happy with what I am seeing from the Polar Bears- even though their record is not that great, they may be better (fingers crossed) in the near future!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 26, 2012, 08:51:46 AM
Marietta defeated Montclair State 5-0 behind a solid pitching performance from Brian Gasser who went 6 innings.  Logan Lewis was solid in defeate pitching the final three innings and picking up the save.  (Still no Kyle Linquist who was in street clothes at the game on Sunday.)  Offense was spotty, never really getting anything going.  The one thing which stood out for the Pioneers on Sunday was their defense.  These kids can really flash some leather and will rarely make bad mistakes. 

Marietta travels to Delaware, Ohio on Tuesday for a key in-region matchup with OWU, has a home game on Wednesday against Frostburg State (who was a participant in the mideast regional last year) before hosting ONU on Saturday to open conference play.  Good slate of games for the Pioneers this week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on March 26, 2012, 11:47:55 AM
Quote from: 108 Stitches on March 25, 2012, 11:01:12 AM
I wonder how anyone found a game before there was the Internet, bulletin boards, GPS's, and google earth.....

Ask Al Gore.

Enjoy the game!

THIS IS A BASEBALL BLOG, PLEASE MAKE YOUR POLITICAL REMARKS ON THE POLITICAL BLOG.   THANK YOU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ScotsFan on March 26, 2012, 12:09:28 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2012, 04:20:08 PM

As for Mount...I suppose it is technically UMU these days.  But I went to MUC.  My diploma says that.  So I'm being stubborn!  They're off to a decent start.  They're beating teams they should beat so far.  That's a positive given how young they are.  We'll see what happens in conference play in a week or so.  I'm still concerned about the pitching outside of 2 starters.

LOL!  I didn't even go there but it's hard for me not to think of them as MUC!  Kind of the same way I am about the Jake (now Progressive Field).  It will always be the Jake to me...  :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OnuAlumni25 on March 26, 2012, 01:26:15 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 26, 2012, 08:51:46 AM
Marietta defeated Montclair State 5-0 behind a solid pitching performance from Brian Gasser who went 6 innings.  Logan Lewis was solid in defeate pitching the final three innings and picking up the save.  (Still no Kyle Linquist who was in street clothes at the game on Sunday.)  Offense was spotty, never really getting anything going.  The one thing which stood out for the Pioneers on Sunday was their defense.  These kids can really flash some leather and will rarely make bad mistakes. 
Marietta travels to Delaware, Ohio on Tuesday for a key in-region matchup with OWU, has a home game on Wednesday against Frostburg State (who was a participant in the mideast regional last year) before hosting ONU on Saturday to open conference play.  Good slate of games for the Pioneers this week.

Am I allowed to hope that they don't flash so much leather on Saturday?  lol  My Polar Bears need some help!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2012, 10:30:55 PM
BW outlasted Walsh today 15-14.  Jackets are 14-2 now.  They have Wooster Wednesday so that will be a good test prior to conference play.  Their offense has been clicking all season so I hope they see some of Woo's better arms just as a gauge, but w/ 4 games w/ Kenyon this weekend I doubt they'll see too much unless someone just needs a little work.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2012, 12:05:28 PM
Marietta remains #2 in this week's poll.  BW is in ORV.  That's it for the OAC this week.  Hopefully that changes moving forward. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 27, 2012, 07:27:32 PM
Marietta beat Ohio Wesleyan 2-0 today in Delaware, Ohio.  The Etta Express improves to 11-3 on the year.

Blaski is having an amazing year so far, as he lowered his ERA to an astounding 0.28 for the year with another 7 scoreless today.  He's given up just one earned run in 32 innings...crazy.

Great news for Marietta, and not so good for the rest of the OAC and Mideast region - lindquist is back from injury, throwing 2 innings today for the save.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on March 27, 2012, 07:50:44 PM
We knew Etta's pitching would be awesome but, what about the sticks? They are not beating the oppostion into submission.
I know I'm splitting hairs but, Etta has been known for pounding the baseball and scoring alot of runs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 27, 2012, 08:35:20 PM
Quote from: old scot on March 27, 2012, 07:50:44 PM
We knew Etta's pitching would be awesome but, what about the sticks? They are not beating the oppostion into submission.
I know I'm splitting hairs but, Etta has been known for pounding the baseball and scoring alot of runs.

I guess once they start hitting a little, teams will really be in trouble.  With their pitching, they only need to score a few to be "in" every game. I'm guessing it'll come around, but this year's lineup is a small ball club that is built to put pressure on the opposing defense and pitching.  I'd be surprised to see more than 15 total team HR's by the end of the year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2012, 08:44:50 PM
I think the other thing that helps them too is they have a lot of kids that can steal a base don't they?  That adds even more pressure.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on March 27, 2012, 11:54:42 PM
The bats will get going here soon... This is what happened last year too. As soon as the bats came around, they were a very tough lineup to face. Marietta got their fifth shutout today as well. And yes, they have a ton of team speed. Gunna be a very good team when all 3 aspects are clicking together.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 28, 2012, 08:54:22 AM
The Pioneer offense has been my concen as well.  They are getting guys on base, but have been struggling mightlily to come up with a hit with a runner in scoring position. 

The back to back shutout losses in Florida (even though Saunders and Becker were sitting) were eye opening. 

The pitching is there.  They defense is there.  Offense has got to be there.  This is not a meant as a slight to OWU in any way, but the Pioneers did not see their top guy, and barely managed to scratch out two runs.  It sounded like OWU had three or four stellar defensive plays which robbed guys of hits and RBI's.  Your pitcher's can be having a great outing and one bad mistake on defense can put a lot of pressure on a struggling offense. 

We will likely see Mahaffey throw tonight's game against Frostburg State and perhaps Mulvey will get some time as well.  Those two will likely get the nod next tuesday against Mount Union with Gasser and Blaski throwing on Saturday.

The proble
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2012, 04:01:01 PM
I wouldn't hate missing Gasser/Blaski so I hope you're right, EttaFan!

Right now I'm just sitting in my office with the live stats going for both MUC/Hiram and BW/Woo.  Not a bad afternoon.  The former is scoreless after 2, the latter is just starting now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 28, 2012, 04:09:23 PM
Mahaffey and Mulvey's numbers are pretty solid so far this year...

Mahaffey   2-0, 0.87 ERA 20.2 IP, WHIP of .9677 (WHIP includes hit batters).  Opp BA of .149, .792 K/IP
Mulvey      1-0, 0.53 ERA 17.0 IP, WHIP of .8823, Opp BA of .172 .823 K/IP

Gasser's numbrs are not this strong...3-1, 1.80 ERA, 25.0 IP, WHIP of 1.12 Opp BA of .188  1.08 K/IP

Be Careful of what you wish for.... ;)



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2012, 04:46:32 PM
I didn't say they weren't good....just said I wouldn't hate missing Gasser/Blaski!  Those guys are having great years.  Those guys are also not Gasser and Blaski.  Lesser of two evils I guess!  But Mount is barely hitting Hiram currently so I'm guessing it's a moot point. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 28, 2012, 06:42:01 PM
Well good dr. Mahaffey was sparkling today in an 18-0 win over frostburg state. 6 ip 9k's no walks and three hits. Saunders was 4-4 with two hrs and 5 rbi. One hr was wind assisted the other was not.

Marietta 18, frostburg state 0.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2012, 11:31:23 PM
Mount hangs 5 runs each in a couple innings to beat Hiram 11-6 today on the road.  Raiders head into OAC play 13-5.

BW held off Wooster 15-12.  Pitcher's nightmare today in Wayne County as both teams were hitting it all over the yard.  Jackets improve to 15-2.

Ott lost to OU 11-5.  They host MUC Sat.

Wilm got thumped by Witt 28-5.  Not sure if thumped is even strong enough for that score? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 29, 2012, 08:03:44 AM
League Action for Saturday:

ONU (6-10) @ MAR (12-3)
UMU (13-5) @ OTT (13-7)
BW (15-2) @ MUSK (6-8)
WILM (3-10) @ BERG (11-8)
CAP (10-7) @ JCU (7-8)  {April 1}

UMU at OTT, on paper, to me seems like the best matchup of the weekend.

Good luck to all teams as league play begins.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2012, 08:37:52 AM
With OAC play starting why not make fools of ourselves with some predictions?  I added mine within the quote in bold.

Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 29, 2012, 08:03:44 AM
League Action for Saturday:

ONU (6-10) @ MAR (12-3)  Etta sweeps and easily
UMU (13-5) @ OTT (13-7)  Split
BW (15-2) @ MUSK (6-8)  BW should sweep, but my gut says split here too.  Split
WILM (3-10) @ BERG (11-8)  Berg better sweep.  Unless Ramsey pulls another one out of his hat on them.  Sweep.
CAP (10-7) @ JCU (7-8)  {April 1}  Split

UMU at OTT, on paper, to me seems like the best matchup of the weekend.

Good luck to all teams as league play begins.

I agree, I think Mount @ Ott is probably the best DH this weekend.  Cap and JCU should be a battle too.  If either team can sweep that one it would be big for them. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on March 29, 2012, 10:33:05 AM
Etta sweep
Mount sweep
Bw an musky split
Berg sweep
Cap and jcu split
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 29, 2012, 01:20:02 PM
My predictions. 

MC sweeps ONU.  With a 36 scoreless inning streak currently, can ONU get a run or two across?  the little lefty (Price?)from ONU gave MC fits a year ago....MC's bats have not been the best lately.  Gasser and Blaski pitching for the Pios, and Lindquist is back in the mix.  I'll be so bold to say that one of the two games on Saturday is a shutout.

I think Mount Union and Otterbein split.  Statistically a fairly even matchup.  Question for Dr. Acula....Does Mount start their #3 and #4 against a good hitting Otterbein team to save their #1 and #2 to go against Marietta on Tuesday?  Otterbein looks like they are hitting it pretty well right now.

BW Sweeps Muskingum.  It would appear that Muskingum is not particularly strong.  BW, though not having the strongest schedule, is hitting the ball really well.  Muskingum's pitching, a least statistically, is not particularly strong.

Berg sweeps Wilmington.  Wilmington is bad.  Berg should be good enough to easily take two from the quakers.

CAP and JCU split.  JCU's offensive numbers do not look impressive to me. Cap's pitching numbers don't look impressive either.  Slugfest perhaps?  (Of course it will end up 3-2 and 2-1). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2012, 02:36:09 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 29, 2012, 01:20:02 PM
My predictions. 

MC sweeps ONU.  With a 36 scoreless inning streak currently, can ONU get a run or two across?  the little lefty (Price?)from ONU gave MC fits a year ago....MC's bats have not been the best lately.  Gasser and Blaski pitching for the Pios, and Lindquist is back in the mix.  I'll be so bold to say that one of the two games on Saturday is a shutout.

I think Mount Union and Otterbein split.  Statistically a fairly even matchup.  Question for Dr. Acula....Does Mount start their #3 and #4 against a good hitting Otterbein team to save their #1 and #2 to go against Marietta on Tuesday?  Otterbein looks like they are hitting it pretty well right now.

BW Sweeps Muskingum.  It would appear that Muskingum is not particularly strong.  BW, though not having the strongest schedule, is hitting the ball really well.  Muskingum's pitching, a least statistically, is not particularly strong.

Berg sweeps Wilmington.  Wilmington is bad.  Berg should be good enough to easily take two from the quakers.

CAP and JCU split.  JCU's offensive numbers do not look impressive to me. Cap's pitching numbers don't look impressive either.  Slugfest perhaps?  (Of course it will end up 3-2 and 2-1).

I think Smith and Murzynski will go tomorrow.  Their 3 and 4 will go Tuesday.  I hate assuming losses, but it's such a numbers game for teams like MUC trying to make the OAC tournament.  You can't "waste" conference starts from your top 2 guys against Etta when the odds are long that you're even getting a split if you do.  Etta's 3 and 4 are going to be as good or better than your 1 and 2 pretty much every year.  And if you have a decent drop off from 1-2 to 3-4 you have to play the odds I think.  It's a terrible way to look at it from a "we can beat anyone" angle, but with how competitive it's going to be for those OAC tourney spots you almost have to do it, IMO. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 29, 2012, 04:31:36 PM
Carlino and Horning?  Numbers don't look too bad.  Horning it would appear has walked a few too many (which can get you in trouble).  Both have respectable WHIP's 1.17 and 1.43 respectively (which includes hit batters). If either is a junk baller, that can work well against the Pios if they throw junk for strikes.

You coming down for the game?

(I'll be there, right behind the plate about three-four rows up behind the plate)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2012, 05:06:18 PM
Horning has been a fairly pleasant surprise so far.  Carlino pulls double duty as he plays the field when he doesn't pitch.  I've actually never seen either throw as they're both sophomores and I only saw 2 games last season.     

I can't make it down Tuesday....I'm an accountant and it's quarter end so we'll be buried next week.  Sad story, I know!  Haha.  I am going to Ott Sat though since that's all of a 15 min drive for me over to Westerville.  Hopefully the wind's not blowing out at Fishbaugh.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 29, 2012, 10:06:11 PM
Congratulations to Ohio Northern Freshman OF Dan Belliveau and Heidelberg Sophomore P Chris Thomas on being selected OAC Hitter and Pitcher of the Week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2012, 08:29:41 AM
In the final tune up games before conference play Musky lost in extra innings 6-5 to OWU and Cap beat Denison again 5-2. 

Everyone starts tomorrow except Cap/JCU (Sun).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OnuAlumni25 on March 30, 2012, 11:30:37 AM
MC will sweep ONU, but I think Price will hopefully give Marietta hitters problems.  I would be a bit surprised if the Pioneers would throw their 1-2 combo vs ONU considering they have Mount Union coming up.  ONU should be an easy sweep using their 3-4 or even a spot starter...  Just my 2 cents from a coaching standpoint

Mount will more than likely sweep Ott.

I bet BW and Musky will split as well.  BW is tough, but they have played an easy schedule so far.  I think Musky will be able to take one.

Berg easily destroys Wilmington.

JCU sweeps Cap. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2012, 12:30:13 PM
Heading out to Ott.  It's overcast and feels like it's low-mid 50's.  OAC baseball weather! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2012, 01:37:21 PM
6 up 6 down by Ott's Reuter. Smith escapes a bases loaded jam in the 2nd after a couple seeing eye singles and a walk. 0-0 after 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2012, 02:06:35 PM
2 air mailed throws to first plate 3 runs in addition to a couple RBI singles. 5-0 Ott after 3.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2012, 03:05:45 PM
Ott takes game 1 6-0. Reuter absolutely dominated.  I'm not sure MUC had more than a couple hits.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2012, 06:14:24 PM
Raiders bounce back 11-2 in the 2nd game to get the split.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on March 31, 2012, 07:55:29 PM
Marietta struggles a bit today but sweeps ONU . I believe the scores were 7-3 and 5-4. Marietta had base runners all day, could have scored many more had they cashed in on chances. Blaski and gasser both pick up wins
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2012, 09:25:00 PM
So Etta sweeps albeit closer than we thought.

BW and Musky split in what had to have been an entertaining DH (both 1 run games).

Berg sweeps Wilm easily.

Ott and MUC split.

No surprises today really.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 01, 2012, 08:50:31 AM
Berg did sweep Wilmington 7-0 and 5-1. Tyler Fruhwirth pitches a 4 hit shut out with 3 Ks and no BBs to improve to 4-1 in the first game and Chris Thomas goes 7 giving up the 1 run on 8 hits with 3 Ks and 3 BBs to even his record at 2-2.

The day was highligted by Ricky Lizcano hitting a HR in each game to tie the school career record. After scoring 2 in the 2nd, Berg put the game away with 5 in the 3rd. Lizcano, Elvin Williams and Trevor Oldham each had 2 hits while 2 RBIs were provided each by Lizcano, Oldham and Jordan Martin.

In the 2nd game Wilmington plated their only run of the game after a pair of 2 out walks were followed by an RBI single in the top of the 3rd. Berg evened it in the 4th on an RBI single by Jordan Martin, added another on Lizcano's record tying HR in the 5th, then got 3 insurance runs in the 7th. The bottom of the Berg order provided the multi hit games. Elvin Williams was 2 for 5, Eric Monroe was 3 for 5 with a double, Arneal Squibb 2 for 4 with and RBI and Jordan Martin was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Lizcano added 2 RBI.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2012, 03:37:57 PM
Cap rallied from down 6-1 to take a 7-6 lead.  JCU tied it and then won it 10-7 in the 8th w/ a 2 out walk off homer from Herringshaw.

MUC threw 9 pitchers 1 inning each and beat Thiel 2-1 today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2012, 07:23:08 PM
Cap took JCU to the wood shed in the 2nd game.  They went up 15-0 and coasted to a 21-6 win to split in UH.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 02, 2012, 01:23:13 PM
Tuesday's Slate:

Mount Union (1-1) @ Marietta (2-0)
BW (1-1) @ JCU (1-1)
Wilmington (0-2) at Muskingum (1-1)
'Berg (2-0) @ Otterbein (1-1)
ONU (0-2) @ Capital (1-1)

I'm hopeful for a Marietta sweep, but this will be a good league test with our #3 and #4 pitchers (who have been lights out).  Marietta has struggled on offense this year.  I think this will be a good test for the Pioneers.  By the way, the next victory for Marietta will be the 2,000th victory for the program.  Last year the Raiders put a scare into the pioneers forcing an extra inning affair.  I like our #3 and #4 against most anyone...I predict two wins for Marietta.

BW's early season schedule wasn't all that strong.  I look for a split with the streaks here.

I see Muskingum taking two from Wilmington.

The most intriguing matchup from my point of view is Otterbein and 'Berg.  This is an interesting test of pitching depth.  It has been posted here that 'Berg has had some injuires within their pitching staff.  This is a good matchup.  I'll be interested in the outcome of this one.  I see this as an Otterbein sweep, but would not be suprised if they split.  It also wouldn't be shocking to see 'Berg take two, either.

Northern's achilles on Saturday was defense.  As has been posted here, it seems like defense has been a problem for them all year.  Give teams extra outs, and they make you pay.  Captial sounds like they are a bit better this year.   Cap wins two tomorrow.

Those are my predictions. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2012, 03:28:04 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 02, 2012, 01:23:13 PM
Tuesday's Slate:

Mount Union (1-1) @ Marietta (2-0)  I think Etta sweeps.  Reuter dominated MUC.  I don't think he's as good as what MUC will see tomorrow.  And Etta will score tomorrow.  I think they win both games by scores of something like 6-2.  I hope I'm wrong, but...sweep.
BW (1-1) @ JCU (1-1)  JCU's pitching did NOT look good Sat.  28 runs to Cap?  Not good.  But this is a rivalry game.  Streaks find a way.  Split.
Wilmington (0-2) at Muskingum (1-1)  Wilm is just not good.  And now it's Wilm's 3-4?  Have to go sweep here.
'Berg (2-0) @ Otterbein (1-1)  This is the toughest DH to me.  Literally no outcome would surprise me.  I wasn't impressed w/ Ott offensively.  Berg is riddled w/ injuries.  Split. 
ONU (0-2) @ Capital (1-1)  ONU's D has been bad.  Cap's pitching is suspect.  Too many variables here.  Split.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 03, 2012, 12:45:22 PM
FYI  THE BERG-OTT GAME CAN BE HEARD WITH LIVE STATS FROM THE OTTERBEIN WEB SITE.  THIS WAS NOT POSTED UNTIL TODAY.  ENJOY THE GAMES.

GO BERG!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 03, 2012, 01:12:14 PM
FOR THOSE OF YOU TRYING TO LISTEN TO THE BERG-OTT GAME, THEY JUST  ANNOUNCED  A RAIN DELAY.  STAY TUNED, SHOULD BE AN EXCITING DH WITH BOTH TEAMS HAVING SIMILAR RECORDS.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 03:13:15 PM
Yeah, it's been raining most of the day here in Cbus.  No word on Berg/Ott.  Looks like ONU/Cap was ppd until 4pm.  It says they'll play the 9 inning game first.  Anyone know the reasoning on that?  I would have thought they would tried to get in the 7 then enough to make the 9 an official game.  Unless they're thinking there's no chance so just play the single game and call it a day?

BW is up 4-2 in the 6th at JCU in game 1.
 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 03, 2012, 03:38:34 PM
IT'S 3:38PM, BERG-OTT GAME NOW STARTED.  ENJOY!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 03, 2012, 04:10:56 PM
Mount Union and MC delayed at least until 5:00.  The next wave of storms due any time now (4:09).  Could be playing ALL NIGHT LONG.  Love having the lights.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 04:19:16 PM
Game 1 final:  BW 5, JCU 2
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 03, 2012, 06:13:46 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 03, 2012, 04:10:56 PM
Mount Union and MC delayed at least until 5:00.  The next wave of storms due any time now (4:09).  Could be playing ALL NIGHT LONG.  Love having the lights.

Ugh I remember when that happened and Marietta had a doubleheader AT Ohio Northern the next day.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 06:39:40 PM
Berg scores 3 in the 6th and 5 in the 7th to take a 10-7 win in the opener.  That 7th inning might have given George a coronary.  The bullpen gave up 3 runs on only a single thanks to error and walks.  Then Lizcano finished them off with a triple for some insurance.

JCU leads BW 11-7 in the 8th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 07:02:36 PM
JCU wins 11-7 to complete the split.

MUC holds on (and I mean HOLDS ON) to beat Etta 6-5 in the opener.  Playing with house money now.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 03, 2012, 07:12:17 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 06:39:40 PM
Berg scores 3 in the 6th and 5 in the 7th to take a 10-7 win in the opener.  That 7th inning might have given George a coronary.  The bullpen gave up 3 runs on only a single thanks to error and walks.  Then Lizcano finished them off with a triple for some insurance.



DR. A, AS YOU KNOW, MATT PALM'S TEAMS NEVER QUIT.  IF THEY CAN KEEP THE WINS COMING TILL THEIR PITCHERS HEAL, THEY COULD STILL HAVE A GOOD SEASON.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 03, 2012, 07:28:26 PM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on April 03, 2012, 06:13:46 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 03, 2012, 04:10:56 PM
Mount Union and MC delayed at least until 5:00.  The next wave of storms due any time now (4:09).  Could be playing ALL NIGHT LONG.  Love having the lights.

Ugh I remember when that happened and Marietta had a doubleheader AT Ohio Northern the next day.

To make things worse that late night, MC lost game two in extra inning after Mount hit a grand slam to tie it in the 9th...the they got swept the next day by ONU. Not a great 24 hrs. Haha
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 08:06:43 PM
Musky sweeps Wilm 11-2 and 6-1.  Gonna be a LONG year for the Quakers it seems.

ONU beats Cap 6-3 in their only game today due to the rain delay.  Cap left 17 runners on base.  Ouch.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 08:12:05 PM
Quote from: Gramps on April 03, 2012, 07:12:17 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 06:39:40 PM
Berg scores 3 in the 6th and 5 in the 7th to take a 10-7 win in the opener.  That 7th inning might have given George a coronary.  The bullpen gave up 3 runs on only a single thanks to error and walks.  Then Lizcano finished them off with a triple for some insurance.



DR. A, AS YOU KNOW, MATT PALM'S TEAMS NEVER QUIT.  IF THEY CAN KEEP THE WINS COMING TILL THEIR PITCHERS HEAL, THEY COULD STILL HAVE A GOOD SEASON.

In my original post which I accidentally deleted before posting I said something to the effect of "You can't let good teams hang around or they find a way to beat you."  Case in point. 

Mount almost let Etta do it to them too.  Error after error and next thing you know they've plated 3 runs and only hit 1 ball out of the infield.  You can't give good teams extra outs and free bases.  One of the reasons they're good is because they take advantage of those things! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 09:12:23 PM
Ott beats Berg 7-4.  Another split. 

And Etta leads MUC 5-0 in the 5th so we're on our way to a split there too.

This is looking like one of those seasons where you have Etta at the top, Wilm at the bottom...and the other 8 can beat each other on any day.  A lot of these teams are so close talent-wise it's just difficult for anyone to sweep in the middle.  That's why things like MUC's win at Etta are huge for the 2nd tier teams.  That basically puts you a game up on the field.  Now what they have to avoid is giving it back by splitting w/ Wilm or getting swept by JCU or something. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 03, 2012, 10:40:55 PM
Hats off to mount union for their game one victory tonight. Carlino pitched extremely well through the first five and his defense let Marietta make things interesting. 

The walks and dropped third strike killed Marietta tonight in game one.  When you aren't puttIng up much offense to cant give free passes to the opponents.

Marietta played better in game two and came away with the split. Mount union played very well. They were pumped up and gave their best effort.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2012, 11:10:56 PM
I'm very proud of Mount.  They looked AWFUL in the first game against Otterbein.  With a team of basically all sophomores and freshmen playing I was afraid how they'd respond.  They rebounded and took it to Ott to get the split.  Today they built a lead and then things kind of came apart in the bottom of the 6th on D w/ those 4 errors.  They very easily could have collapsed then or again in the 7th when they got in more trouble.  They didn't make it pretty, but they found a way to get the win.  I think that speaks volumes about their young guys.  They stick together and battle.  I'm hoping this bodes well for this season and the future as these kids gain experience and confidence.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on April 04, 2012, 04:37:37 PM
Heidelberg to Honor Jason Lash, Jordan Martin with Gold Glove at Friday's OAC Doubleheader

http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/baseball/news/2012/04042012-0
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 05, 2012, 12:22:52 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 03, 2012, 07:28:26 PM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on April 03, 2012, 06:13:46 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 03, 2012, 04:10:56 PM
Mount Union and MC delayed at least until 5:00.  The next wave of storms due any time now (4:09).  Could be playing ALL NIGHT LONG.  Love having the lights.

Ugh I remember when that happened and Marietta had a doubleheader AT Ohio Northern the next day.

To make things worse that late night, MC lost game two in extra inning after Mount hit a grand slam to tie it in the 9th...the they got swept the next day by ONU. Not a great 24 hrs. Haha

Was leaving that part out for the benefit of others that were there. I was tired as heck and didn't even play the games.

Quote of the event from Ada... "It feels like it's still yesterday."
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 05, 2012, 09:31:37 AM
Congrats to Heidelberg senior Ricardo Lizcano and Otterbein senior Dustin Reuter for being named the OAC hitter and pitcher of the week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2012, 04:15:49 PM
Friday's slate:

Wilm (3-14, 0-4) @ JCU (9-10, 2-2)
Etta (15-4, 3-1) @ Cap (12-9, 1-2)
Mount (16-7, 2-2) @ BW (17-5, 2-2)
ONU (7-12, 1-2) @ Ott (15-9, 2-2)
Musky (9-11, 3-1) @ Berg (14-9, 3-1)

Predictions?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2012, 07:44:42 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2012, 04:15:49 PM
Friday's slate:

Wilm (3-14, 0-4) @ JCU (9-10, 2-2)  JCU sweeps.  Or at least they better or they've dug a hole for themselves early.  Waaaay too tight together to drop one to Wilm and think you've got an easy road to the OAC tourney.
Etta (15-4, 3-1) @ Cap (12-9, 1-2)  Etta sweeps.  Just don't think Cap has the pitching to steal one.
Mount (16-7, 2-2) @ BW (17-5, 2-2)  Split.  Smith lost 1-0 to Havens last year in a game that had 4 total hits and they'll match up again tomorrow.  This is going to be a battle.  I think they're too evenly matched to predict anything but the split.
ONU (7-12, 1-2) @ Ott (15-9, 2-2)  Ott sweep.  ONU was more competitive than I thought they'd be against Etta.  But I was very impressed with Reuter.  Assuming he's matched up w/ Price I like Ott's chances to sweep.
Musky (9-11, 3-1) @ Berg (14-9, 3-1)  Berg sweep.  I kicked around a split because Musky is scrappy like always.  But I just don't have a ton of faith in them to score a lot of runs against the Berg. 

Predictions?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 06, 2012, 02:13:09 PM
Even though the games have started, I can't disagree with anything you wrote prediction wise. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2012, 02:25:52 PM
Sheesh...game 1 already in the books.  BW 4-0 over Mount.  Havens continues to own MUC as he tosses a 3 hitter after 1 hitting them last season.  Smith allows 2 ER in the CG loss.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2012, 02:34:07 PM
Etta cruises 7-0 over Cap.

Ott leads ONU 5-1 after 5 1/2 in the opener. 

JCU trails Wilm 3-1 in the 5th. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 06, 2012, 02:50:52 PM
Blaski was on his game today.  No Walks!  9 K' 3 hits in the shut out.  The pioneer bats showed up today in the opener, something they failed to do against Mount Union until it was way too late.  (Freshman Mitch Geers is giving the coaches a reason to keep him in the lineup right now!)

Cap did not have a runner reach second base in the game.

Game 2 coming up.  Gasser on the hill.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2012, 03:23:10 PM
Final in Westerville was 5-1 Ott.  Reuter allows 0 ER in the win.  2 OAC starts.  2 CG wins.  1 R (0 ER).  Not bad.

Musky takes the opener at Berg 5-1.  CG, 0 ER, 8 K for Spadaro. 

JCU cut it to 3-2, but Wilm got a HUGE hit from starting pitcher Hunter Justus to clear the bases and make it 6-2 in the 7th.  That's the final.  6-2 Wilm. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 06, 2012, 03:31:26 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2012, 03:23:10 PM
JCU cut it to 3-2, but Wilm got a HUGE hit from starting pitcher Hunter Justus to clear the bases and make it 6-2 in the 7th.  That's the final.  6-2 Wilm.

That's gonna leave a mark!   :o
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2012, 04:56:52 PM
MUC secures the split w/ a 7-3 win over BW.  Murzynski was good again when they needed him to be (8 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 7 K).  Like I said, I'll take 3 splits on the road at Ott, Etta and BW to start the OAC play.  You definitely have held serve at the least with that.

ONU leads Ott 4-3 in the 5th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2012, 04:59:20 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 06, 2012, 03:31:26 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2012, 03:23:10 PM
JCU cut it to 3-2, but Wilm got a HUGE hit from starting pitcher Hunter Justus to clear the bases and make it 6-2 in the 7th.  That's the final.  6-2 Wilm.

That's gonna leave a mark!   :o

You can say that again.  As bad as the loss itself is the pressure that it puts on you going forward.  You absolutely can't slip up again.  Not when there are, what, 6 teams fighting for 3 spots?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 07, 2012, 11:03:06 AM
Heidelberg lost to Muskingum 5-1 and 14-7. Tyler Fruhwirth loses the first game to fall to 4-2 allowing all 5 earned runs on 6 hits with 5 Ks and 3 BBs in 5 2/3 innings. Berg bats were pretty quiet with 6 different players having singles with no extra base hits. Pushed across the only run on a Lizcano SF in the 5th.

In the 2nd game Berg gloves were the problem as 5 of the 14 runs allowed were unearned due to 6 errors. Starter Chris Thomas falls to 2-3, only going 2 1/3 innings after allowing 7 runs, 5 earned on 7 hits with 1 K and 1 BB. Only real bright spot for Heidelberg was Ricky Lizcano's record breaking 3 run HR in the 5th inning which brought them to within 8-5. However the Muskies added 5 runs in the last 2 innings to put the game out of reach. Lizcano was 2 for 5 with the HR, a double and 4 RBIs. Eric Monroe was 2 for 4, Steve Kisan also was 2 for 4 and Jordan Martin 2 for 3. Alex Grove added a double.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2012, 11:53:22 AM
ONU wins 9-6 to split with Ott.  Maybe the Bears are sneaky decent?  Played Etta pretty tough.  Beat Cap and split with Ott all on the road.  Certainly not a resume you write off thus far. 

Have to say I definitely didn't see the Musky sweep coming.  That's a big day for the Fish. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 08, 2012, 07:20:01 PM
Mid week matchups....

MC (5-1, 17-4) @ MUSK (5-1, 11-11)  — Muskingum's surprsing sweep of 'Berg sets up an interesting matchup of the leagues co-leaders on Wednesday.  Look for Blaski and Gasser to get the starting nod on Wednesday.  I think Marietta takes two behind solid pitching and defense.  (I think the split with Mount Union was sort of a "wake up call" as well for the Pioneers).

JCU (3-3, 10-11) @ Mount (3-3, 17-8) — A bad loss by the streaks to Wilmington is not what you need when you are battling for one of those top four spots at the end of the year.  Mount Union needs a sweep to get into position for a post season birth.  I think they do it on Wednesday. 

CAP (1-4, 12-11)  @ BW (3-3, 18-6) — I don't think Cap had a baserunner advance past second against Marietta.  The Havens kid from BW has been rock solid so far.  Cap's pitching was not particularly impressive on Friday.  I look for BW to get two here.

OTT (3-3, 16-10) @ WILM (1-5, 4-15) — Just when you need two wins to move up in the standings you get to play the lowly Quakers.  Ott takes two.

'Berg (3-3, 14-11) @ ONU (2-3, 8-13)— As someone eluded to last week, Northern could be sneaky good.  'Berg's been hit and miss this year.  I think 'Berg takes two, but a split isn't out of the question, either.

If I had to predict the "top four" righ now, it would be...

1.  Marietta.
2-3.  BW or Mount
4-5 . 'Berg or Otterbein 

I think everyone else will be on the outside looking in come playoff time. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2012, 10:33:46 AM
That's a good point that w/ the games being last Fri. and then this Wed. everyone could throw their 1-2 again Wed. on regular rest. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 09, 2012, 09:37:22 PM
Marietta posts a big in region won defeating Washington and Jefferson tonight 9-5. W&J is now 16-4.  They had some pretty gaudy offensive numbers cOming in too. Marietta's offense is picking up a little as of late as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OnuAlumni25 on April 10, 2012, 01:11:37 PM
Im personally proud of the ONU guys who bounced back from a tough 5-1 loss where Price struck out 9 batters and ONU's errors came through again (4), and put up 5 in the 8th and 9th of the second game.  I think it will take time, but the new coach seems to have things going in the right direction. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2012, 01:12:33 PM
Marietta regains the #1 spot in the top 25 this week.  No other OAC squads are ranked or RV. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2012, 09:15:46 AM
JCU @ MUC ppd. until Thurs. due to weather.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2012, 01:08:48 PM
Predictions:

Berg sweeps ONU
Etta sweeps Musky
Ott sweeps Wilm
JCU and Mount split
BW sweeps Cap

Really wanted to pick a Raiders sweep, but is there any way we get 5 sweeps?  There has to be at least one split, right? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 11, 2012, 02:50:41 PM
Pioneers take game 1, 3-1 behind solid pitching from Austin Blaski.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2012, 03:00:55 PM
Berg beats ONU 3-0.  Minteer pitched a gem.

Break up the Quakers!  Wilm beats Ott 3-1 in the opener! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 11, 2012, 03:50:38 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2012, 03:00:55 PM
Break up the Quakers!  Wilm beats Ott 3-1 in the opener!

OUCH!  :o Another one that leaves a mark!  Wow the race for the four spots is going to be VERY interesting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2012, 05:45:23 PM
If that left a mark then what does a sweep do?!  Because Wilmington took game 2 by a 2-1 count to bring the brooms out on Ott!  Wow.  I said after the Mount DH I wasn't overly impressed with Ott's lineup, but 2 runs all day today?  That's not good.  And getting swept by Wilm is going to be VERY hard to overcome. 

And poor ONUalum is going to be shaking his head at those unearned runs in game 2 against Berg.  2 errors result in 3 unearned runs in the 6th when Berg took a 6-4 lead.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 11, 2012, 06:43:43 PM
My Thoughts exactly, dr A. That may have knocked them out of the playoffs right there. Two games you should win and don't.... The race for spots three through five are always tight. Losin lg these may very well keep the out of it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OnuAlumni25 on April 11, 2012, 10:48:08 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2012, 05:45:23 PM
If that left a mark then what does a sweep do?!  Because Wilmington took game 2 by a 2-1 count to bring the brooms out on Ott!  Wow.  I said after the Mount DH I wasn't overly impressed with Ott's lineup, but 2 runs all day today?  That's not good.  And getting swept by Wilm is going to be VERY hard to overcome. 

And poor ONUalum is going to be shaking his head at those unearned runs in game 2 against Berg.  2 errors result in 3 unearned runs in the 6th when Berg took a 6-4 lead.

What a day... what a day!  Errors... my lord.  I coach JV High School Baseball... we are averaging 6 errors per game... reminds me of when I pitched for the Polar Bears! 

I don't know what to say.. it feels like deja vu!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2012, 08:18:41 AM
Mount needs to make a push the next 3 days.  They have JCU and ONU at home.  I think they need to go at least 3-1 to position themselves well.  But the team that really needs to take care of business is BW.  They have Cap at home today and then head to Wilm.  They need to end the weekend at 7-3 in OAC play.  The problem is it's starting to look like there are no guaranteed W's for anyone besides Etta.  Wilm is clearly not a pushover right now.  Cap can hit the ball enough to beat you if you don't get solid pitching.  ONU has been playing everyone tough.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 12, 2012, 08:24:18 AM
From the "Ongoing rankings discussion" thread on the national topics board.....

The poster indicated this may be somewhat "predictive" of the first regional rankings.  I'm not sure the "as of date" of these but I thought it was interesting to see. 

Top 11 RPI of the Mideast region teams: 

Win%   OWP   OOWP   SOS   RPI   Rank   School   Reg   W   L  Conf.
0.824   0.551   0.539   0.547   0.616   1   Marietta   ME   14   3  OAC
0.750   0.581   0.467   0.543   0.595   2   Anderson   ME   12   4  HCAC
0.815   0.505   0.528   0.513   0.588   3   DePauw   ME   22   5  NCAC
0.737   0.501   0.547   0.517   0.572   4   Adrian   ME   14   5 MIAA
0.682   0.545   0.485   0.525   0.564   5   Mount Union   ME   15   7  OAC
0.800   0.459   0.525   0.481   0.560   6   Washington and Jefferson   ME   12   3 PrAC
0.727   0.491   0.510   0.497   0.555   7   Kenyon   ME   8   3 NCAC
0.615   0.542   0.506   0.530   0.551   8   Baldwin-Wallace   ME   8   5  OAC
0.714   0.472   0.529   0.491   0.547   9   Rose-Hulman   ME   10   4 HCAC
0.652   0.503   0.517   0.508   0.544   10   Westminster (Pa.)   ME   15   8 PrAC
0.650   0.502   0.507   0.504   0.540   11   Case Western Reserve   ME   19   10 (Indepenendent, Pool B Eligible)


The OAC with Marietta, Mount Union and BW is well represented.  I would be extremely suprised if the OAC were to have two at large births to the regional though. 

The last two years, the OAC had two highly rated teams ('Berg and Marietta).  This is not the case this year.  Can a team like Mount Union or BW continue playing well enough to get a pool C (at large) bid or can Heidelberg make a run (preferably after getting swept on Saturday  :D ) to fight into a pool C bid? 

I think the first regional rankings are due out very soon (perhaps next week). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 12, 2012, 10:52:18 AM
Some other "Ranking Goodies" The Boyd's Iterative Strength Rating (explained http://www.boydsworld.com/baseball/faq.html (http://www.boydsworld.com/baseball/faq.html))

Rank    Rating   D3 W-L    W-L   SoS     Team
1          129.9       17-4   17-4       9     Marietta
57        114.1       15-5    18-6    189    B W
72        111.8       16-8    16-8    134    Mt Union
106       107.8      14-11  14-11    96    'Berg
123       105.6      14-8    16-10   232    Otterbein
152       103.2      11-11   12-11   131   Muskingum
154       103.2      11-11   12-11   118   Capital
188         99.1       9-10   10-11   173   JCU
204         97.2       7-13     8-13     67   ONU
324         79.6       4-13     4-15   279   Wilm.   

The math is probably harder than I want to try and understand.  However, it gives an interesting look at how overall strong a team may be.

Some of my observations:  The league as a whole needs to "step up" their level of non conference competition.  I've been watching BW with a little interest.  They began league play with a ridiculous record (something like two or three losses).  They have guady offensive numbers to boot (hitting .341 as a team, good power numbers, etc.).  I think an argument could be made that the teams BW has played have not challenged them significantly.  I'm interested to see what happens in two weeks when Marietta goes to Berea.

The comments have gone on about ONU being "sneaky good."  They have played a challenging schedule to date, and have pushed some teams to the limits.  They will be a handful for anyone if they can consistently catch the ball.

JCU's and Otterbeins losses to Wilmington look even worse when considering this information.  Wilmington is not good.  I know it is baseball and on any given day...But getting swept?  Ouch.

I've personally been concerned about Marietta's lack of offense thus far.  And though I'm still concerned, maybe not as much after seeing the level of competition played to date. 

Some times the numbers give us insight to what is happening.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2012, 01:44:16 PM
Looks like JCU is going with their #1-2 while MUC is going #3-4 starters today.  Spagna vs. Carlino in game 1.  MUC leads 1-0 after 2.

BW leads Cap 5-0 in the 3rd.  With Havens on the mound Cap needs to stop the scoring now to have a chance.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: 108 Stitches on April 12, 2012, 01:45:36 PM
Etafan, I took a look at the NCAA database a couple of weeks ago, and posted this in the "ongoing ranking discussion" thread when the teams were ranked in the order below. These numbers are dated but I would not be too concerned with the lack of scoring for Marietta. Championship teams are pitching and defense and they got both of those. I will go back and look at the current data later in the week to see where the top 5-7 teams are at just for comparison.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

How do they win?

I took a look at the NCAA database of the top 6 teams and did a quick scan of the numbers and pulled out some that stood out. These are ranking numbers from the 373 teams the NCAA tracks. This was a quick scan, if I had the time I would put them all in a table, but I don't so here is my quick review. Just as a FYI I have only seen one of these teams play and my assessment is only based on the numbers.

I am calling it how they win from the numbers.

I got the data from here:

http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/ranksummary


Trinity

Scoring: 131
Batting Ave: 161
HR/game: 6

ERA: 29
K's/9: 2
Hits/9: 4
Fielding %: 3

Looks like they are middle of the road scoring wise, but can knock balls out of the park. They field very well and get lots of K's, which probably helps them out of tight situations. ERA is upper 10% - good not great.  Knowing their starting pitchers this means their bullpen is so so.

Marietta


Scoring: 161

ERA:   2
Hits/9: 3
Fielding: 8

Your basic pitching and defensive team. Middle of the road scoring, nothing stood out in the data in this regard. Type of team that will do in a playoff situation. (I know D'oh but the numbers show this)

CNU

Scoring; 63
Hits:      24
Dbls/Tripples/game : 4
Slg: 65
HR/9:  49

ERA: 25
Hits/9: 12
Field %: 24

Looks like they can bang the ball a bit, maybe has some speed. Decent pitching and fielding, but nothing too special, but upper 10%. Looks like a balanced team offensively and defensively.

Kean

Scoring: 135
BA: 97
Sac Bunts: 11

ERA: 4
Fielding %: 32

Looks like they can pitch, decent fielding, not great. Upper third in scoring and move guys over a lot using the bunt. Probably has played some close games based on the moderate scoring numbers and high # of sac bunts.

Salsbury


Scoring: 143
BA:     200
Sac bunts: 32
Stolen bases: 63
Base on Balls: 41

ERA: 44
Hits allowed: 44
Fielding 54

Nothing in particular stands out as outstanding, looks like they do a lot of things well. Looks like a balanced team that does a good job of working the counts of opposing pitchers. Scoring is in the top 10% so they can score, looks like they have some speed as they are upper 20% in stolen bases, BA upper 1/3rd. Decent pitching, but not upper tier, and fielding looks so so.

Piedmont

Scoring; 143
BA: 200
Base on balls: 8


ERA: 44
Hits allowed: 13
Field: 54

The one thing that stands out in their data is the number 8 base on balls. Probably works the pitchers well. Middle of the road in scoring and lower third in batting Ave. Decent pitching, with good hits allowed. Fair fielding.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2012, 02:12:11 PM
2nd and 3rd and 1 out and MUC takes a 3rd strike and fails to add the insurance run.  Still 1-0 Raiders after 5.  I hope that doesn't come back to bite them.  If you play small ball like they do you need to at least put the ball in play there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2012, 02:49:42 PM
Carlino goes the distance and MUC takes it 1-0.  7 IP, 4 H, 5 K.  On the heels of his great outing against Etta that's a great sign for him.  Hopefully things are clicking for him now.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 12, 2012, 03:53:35 PM
Quote from: 108 Stitches on April 12, 2012, 01:45:36 PM
Etafan, I took a look at the NCAA database a couple of weeks ago, and posted this in the "ongoing ranking discussion" thread when the teams were ranked in the order below. These numbers are dated but I would not be too concerned with the lack of scoring for Marietta. Championship teams are pitching and defense and they got both of those. I will go back and look at the current data later in the week to see where the top 5-7 teams are at just for comparison.

I know where you are coming from and remember reading that post.  To win games you have to score more runs than your opponents.  Currently the Pioneers are allowing 2.29 Runs per game, while scoring 6.87 per game (A number greatly helped by the 17 runs they put up yesterday against Muskingum!).  It was nice to see the team batting average climb above .300 for the season finally!

I suppose I'm nitpicking a little bit based on what I have been used to seeing over the past 20 years following the Pioneers.




Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: 108 Stitches on April 12, 2012, 04:21:20 PM
Could be a heck of a lot worse. Ask Crash about Chapman....actually don't it is not a pretty sight to see a grown man cry.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2012, 04:38:29 PM
BW is up 9-2 in the 6th and on their way to a sweep of Cap.  Game 1 final was 6-1 thanks to another strong outing from Havens.

Mount went with Murzynski in game 2.  Usually it's Smith and Murzynski then Carlino and Horning.  Today they went with Carlino and Murzynski.  Hey whatever works I guess.  MUC leads 7-4 in the 5th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 12, 2012, 07:55:28 PM
I predicted 5 sweeps for the mid week games. Unfortunately I only guessed four of the five winners.....

THe Weekend Matchups:

Ohio Northern (2-5, 8-16) @ Mount Union (5-3, 19-8)
JCU (3-5, 10-13)  @ Otterbein (3-5, 16-12)
Capital (1-6, 12-13) @ Muskingum (5-3, 12-13)
BW (5-3, 21-6) @ Wilmington (3-5, 6-15)
'Berg (5-3, 16-12) @ Marietta (7-1, 20-4)

The four teams which stand at 5-3 have work to do to stay in the hunt. 

Northern gives teams fits, but as long as they continue to falter defensively, they will have trouble winning games. Mount hits the ball really well.  I look for the Raiders to win two here.  (They really need to win two at least, and I think they will).

Otterbein can help their cause and make a late push for the playoffs or they can fold like a cheap tent and sit back and watch.  If anyone has a "must win 2" series this weekend it is the Cardinals.  A split hurts, getting swept would all but kill their playoff hopes and Marietta goes to Westerville on Tuesday.

Capital and Muskingum may be the most competitve matchup of the weekend.  Muskingum probably has more pitching than Cap does, but I look for a split in this series.

BW gets a chance to pad thei record against the leagues worst team.  BW is really hitting it well and Wilmington's pitching is suspect.  (Calling it suspect is like saying an elephant is a large land animal).  BW takes two.

'Berg is an interesting matchup for Marietta.  This has been as good a rivalry in the conference as any over the past several years.  While there is a lot of mutual respect, I don't think you will find a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings between the two (The on field rhubarb between Coach Palm and Coach Brewer during the Mideast Regional las year was a prime example of the intensity between these two teams).  Marietta has Brian Gasser and probably Mike Mahaffey in this one (Blaski could be availalbe for a couple of innings).  I don't know much about 'Berg's pitching staff, but outside of Minteer who threw on Wednesday, the numbers are not great.  I think Marietta takes two, but they will be close hard fought wins. 

This is the weekend where the playoff race really takes shape. 

At the end of the weekend, I predict the order going to Tuesday's midweek games will be...

1.  Marietta
2T. Mount Union
2T. BW
4. Muskingum
5T. 'Berg
5T. Otterbein


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 13, 2012, 08:16:11 AM
Tomorrow's games:

ONU (2-5) @ Mount Union (5-3)  Split.  I predicted a split w/ JCU and they swept.  I'm superstitious.  Plus ONU is decent and Price will be pitching.  It's going to be Price vs. Smith probably so I wouldn't say ONU has any advantage there, but with Price it gives them a good chance at least.
JCU (3-5) @ Otterbein (3-5)  Split.  Without Reuter pitching I think Ott is very average.  I've said that before and I still think it.  Without Spagna pitching JCU is very average also.  2 avg teams?  Split.
Cap (1-6) @ Musky (5-3)  Musky sweeps.  Cap struggled mightily at the plate yesterday.  Havens and Scott are both good, but still.  Throw in the lack of depth on the Crusader staff and I have to go sweep.  That being said, this smells like one of those splits that jumps up and bites a 2nd tier team like Musky. 
BW (5-3) @ Wilm (3-5)  BW sweeps.  They should.  But this may turn out to be "how many times are you going to put your hand on the stove?" if they don't.  Wilm has been making some noise lately.  Just think BW is a tick better than JCU and Ott.
Berg (5-3) @ Etta (7-1)  Etta sweeps.  I just don't think the Berg can score enough runs to take one.  Of course, I didn't think MUC could either and I was happily wrong on that.  But Etta's pitching has been so good across the board it just seems very unlikely.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 13, 2012, 11:05:04 AM
I feel a lot better about the Heidelberg games with Gasser being available. Clutch work by the bats there.

I assume it'll be Thomas and Fruhwirth in some form or fashion for Heidelberg. Thomas has thrown well in games in the past, but had a couple rough gos this season. They play MC, B-W and Mount in the next 3 doubleheaders.

As for the season, you have to favor Mount Union and Muskingum to make the tournament simply because they've already played Marietta. Mount has a win over Marietta as well meaning they'd win any secondary tiebreaker as it stands now (i.e. that isn't broken by a sweep). Mount has only one road series left and it's Capital, so I'd say they sit pretty strong right now.

The 5-loss teams need splits at worst to stay in the running. JCU-Ott is the only series between two 5-loss teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 13, 2012, 01:39:49 PM
Fruwirth:  4-2 , 4.40 ERA, WHIP of 1.37, only 9 walks in 43 innings pitched this year.  6 starts on the season.  Opponents BA .274
Thomas:  2-3, 5.45 ERA, WHIP of 1.97, 19 Walks in 36.1 innings pitched this year.  6 starts on the season.  Opponents BA .338.

It is worth noting that Thomas pitched in the regional championship game last year against Marietta and threw 6 innings, allowed 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned).  He was in trouble early giving up a first inning run and loading the bases before getting back to back strike outs.  From there he settled in nicely and pitched very well over the next five innings.  He could be a tough matchup for Marietta.

for Marietta:

Gasser:  5-1, 2.03 ERA,  WHIP of .975.  15 Walks in 40 innings pitched.  7 starts on the season.  Oppnents batting average:  .170
Mahaffey:  4-1, 3.11 ERA, WHIP of 1.11.  11 Walks in 37.2 Innings pitched.  6 Starts on the season.  Opponents batting average: .208.

Also worth noting, Gasser faced 'Berg twice last season and allowed 1 run in 13 innings total. 

Certainly by the numbers, the pitching matchup favors Marietta.

'Berg is hitting .303 as a team, OBP of .398 and a Slugging pct of .416
Marietta is hitting .305 as a team, OBP of .384, and a slugging pct of .392.

'Berg is still very dangerous offensively.

The thing which isn't very 'berg-like is their fielding percentage in 2012.  This year their fielding pct is .954 (compared to .974 in 2011 and .970 in 2010)

Marietta is fielding at .976 this year. 

There is a lot of pressure on both teams to play clean defensively in this one as they can make you pay dearly for giving them extra outs.  Both teams know each other very well (they played 12 or 13 games against each other the past two seasons) and will be well prepared.  Both teams will be amped up to play each other as well.

I'm looking forward to a good twinbill tomorrow!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: joelmama on April 13, 2012, 02:40:17 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 12, 2012, 07:55:28 PM

I look for the Raiders to win two here.  (They really need to win two at least, and I think they will).

Win two at least?  Is it possible for them to win more than two?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 13, 2012, 02:48:12 PM
Nope.  Sorry for the nonsensical phrasology. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: joelmama on April 14, 2012, 01:53:29 PM
No apology needed it was a just a little funny to read. <G>
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 14, 2012, 05:07:35 PM
Surprisingly they played two full games today at Marietta. Pioneers take two from 'Berg. The firs game came down to a bad hop error on the 2b that hit the fielder and rolled all the way to the fence. Three runs scored on that play. Game two was over after the first inning as Marietta sent 12 batters to the plate.

Game 1 5-3, game 2 13-2
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 15, 2012, 06:40:57 PM
Five sweeps for the weekend series it would appear.

JCU sweeps Ott
BW sweeps Wilmington
Mount sweeps northern
Muskingum sweeps cap.

I would guess Otterbein is all but eliminated from the playoff race.  If they are swept by Marietta on Tuesday it's probably over for them.

'berg has some "must win" pressure on them on Tuesday when they play bw. They are two games behind for the fourth spot and the jackets are in frOnt of them. Getting swept by muskingum didn't help their cause from a tie breaker point of view either.

Mount union gets capital and should be able to keep pace.

Muskingum Gets John Carroll who is short one game but could be making a push. There is some pressure on the muskies to keep pace with the pack.

Gonna be a fun race to the finish Line.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 15, 2012, 07:17:15 PM
This weekend certainly cleared up a lot.

Marietta (9-1) -- Very hard to see anyone else hosting the OAC tournament. Getting swept by Baldwin-Wallace is the most straightforward way someone other than Marietta could win the league.

Mount Union (7-3)
SWEEPS -- John Carroll
SPLITS -- Marietta, Baldwin-Wallace
GOT SWEPT -- NONE
YET TO PLAY -- vs. Heidelberg, vs. Muskingum
PROGNOSIS: Hard to see them missing out. Both contending series left are at home, they have the only win over Marietta and no one has a tiebreak on them right now. A Heidelberg sweep is the only way I can see Mount missing out.

Muskingum (7-3)
SWEEPS -- Heidelberg
SPLITS -- Baldwin-Wallace
GOT SWEPT -- Marietta
YET TO PLAY -- at John Carroll, at Mount Union
PROGNOSIS: Could all but clinch a berth with a sweep this week at JCU. Having tiebreaks over the 5th and 6th place teams and a 9-3 record seems a nearly insurmountable position. Season ending series against Mount could determine who wears white in a Thursday rematch in Marietta.

Baldwin-Wallace (7-3)
SWEEPS -- NONE
SPLITS -- Mount Union, Muskingum, John Carroll
GOT SWEPT -- NONE
YET TO PLAY -- vs. Marietta, at Heidelberg
PROGNOSIS: The only 3 loss team that hasn't played Marietta yet, and so one must figure the most vulnerable. Facing a trip to Peaceful Valley is no picnic either. Still a lot of work to do for the 'Jackets.

John Carroll (5-5)
SWEEPS -- NONE
SPLITS -- Baldwin-Wallace
GOT SWEPT -- Mount Union
YET TO PLAY -- at Marietta, at Heidelberg, vs. Muskingum
PROGNOSIS: Still having three DHs against contenders could be a blessing or a curse. With a trip to Marietta still to come, curse seems more likely.

Heidelberg (5-5)
SWEEPS -- NONE
SPLITS -- NONE
GOT SWEPT -- Marietta, Muskingum
YET TO PLAY -- at Mount Union, vs. Baldwin-Wallace, vs. John Carroll
PROGNOSIS: Very little impressing about this resume so far. Two key DHs in the next week will likely determine whether Heidelberg has any shot. IMO Heidelberg must have a sweep in one of them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2012, 08:14:59 PM
Mount has positioned themselves well now.  7-3 and they still have Cap and Wilm to go.  They need to avoid a total implosion, but I am extremely satisfied sitting at 7-3 right now.  Very solid effort thus far.  Got a less than stellar effort from Smith today, but they just bludgeoned ONU into submission instead.  Seems like these kids just fight every game and that's all you can ask.  They end up having to use Horning to relieve Smith so Bekelsky makes just his 2nd start of the season in game 2.  They come right out and put up runs to ease some pressure right away.  Just love the way they pick each other up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 15, 2012, 09:32:30 PM
If I had to pick based on the quality information provided by forheavanandevial, I would predict the following:

Top seed. Marietta. Offense is coming around and the pitching and defense is very good. BW will be their biggest challenge. However with the way the schedule plays out with only one more midweek league matchup, it's doses of Blaski and Gasser every Saturday.

2 seed: Mount Union. They hit very well and have had good pitching at times. Their schedule lines up nicely. Get through 'Berg with a sweep and it's the easiest path.

3 seed:  BW. Their series with Marietta could be the difference between being the two and the three.

4 seed:  muskingum. Pitching could be the undoing.

Berg really struggled on defense and at the plate against Marietta. They lost a lot of talent after last year and with the injuries to their pitching staff they just aren't the team they were a year ago. 

Jcu has the toughest slate to go. I don't think they will be able to keep pace.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 15, 2012, 09:55:12 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 15, 2012, 09:32:30 PM
If I had to pick based on the quality information provided by forheavanandevial, I would predict the following:


LOL I love that misspelling of my name. Devial sounds like devious haha.

Anyway, B-W could be behind Heidelberg by the end of the day Tuesday if Heidelberg gets a home sweep. They'd both be 7-5 and Heidelberg would have the head to head. Then B-W would have to play Marietta which Heidelberg already has. If Berg gets the sweep here, they're right back in it, which is why I say I think B-W is the most vulnerable of the top 4 right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 16, 2012, 08:07:19 AM
Typing on my iPhone......Not always pretty.

After watching 'Berg this weekend, I came away less than impressed.  Lizcano is still the best hitter in the conference (and probably the most feared hitter in the conference), after that, their offense takes a big drop off. Pitching was not their strong point either and BW's offensive numbers are impressive thus far. 

The thing which stood out the most about Heidelberg on Saturday was suspect defense.  Coach Palm was visibly frustrated with some of the defensive execution on Saturday.  It wasn't just the errors, either.  There were a handful of situations where infielders didn't carry out their assignments. This is not like what we have seen from his squads in the past. 

I would be very suprised if 'Berg is able to sweep BW when they meet.  BW is likely to start their ace, Havens (7-1, 2.41 ERA) in one of those games, which would give the Jackets an advantage in the pitching matchup vs. anyone the Princes throw in that game.  BW is hitting .336 (tops in the OAC) as a team.  Anything can happen, but a split would be huge for 'Berg at this point.  This is a "Must sweep" sitution for 'Berg. 

Tuesday Matchups:

Marietta (9-1, 22-4) @ Otterbein (3-7, 16-14):  Blaski vs. Reuter two of the better pitchers in the conference going head to head?  It could make for a quick 7-ining tilt.  Otterbein has been struggling a lot lately.  Marietta is starting to fire on all cylinders.  I look for a Marietta sweep.

BW (7-3, 23-6) @ Heidelberg (5-5, 16-13).  "Must Sweep" is the name of the series for 'Berg.  Beating Pat Havens will be a major challenge for 'Berg.  I look for a split.

Mount Union (7-3, 21-8) @ Capital (1-8, 12-15)  though it isn't a "Must sweep" series for the Raiders, a sweep would certainly help their cause to stay in the hunt.  Capital is bringing up the rear in the conference.  Good teams find ways to beat weaker teams.  Capital just doesn't have the pitching.  Mount sweeps.

Muskingum (7-3, 14-13) @ JCU (5-5, 12-13).  JCU has been quietly hanging around.  Muskingum is in there by the skin of their teeth.  JCU is playing catchup to the others in the pack, and a loss hurts their chances.  I predict a split here.

Wilmington (3-7, 6-17) @ Northern (2-7, 8-18).  Northern should take two.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 16, 2012, 09:49:32 AM
I agree that beating Havens will probably be tough. Obviously I haven't seen him, and early in the year most of his games were against weaker clubs but lately he's done well against some good ones.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2012, 08:02:08 AM
BW is in the "Others Receiving Votes" this week. 

Marietta has played 11 games against teams appearing in this weeks poll:

#22 Rowan (1-0)
#25 Washington and Jefferson (1-0)
ORV Piedmont (2-1)
ORV Montclair State (2-1)
ORV Rhodes College (3-0)

Mideast Teams in this weeks poll:

#1 Marietta
#11 DePauw (NCAC)
#14 Adrian (MIAA)
#25 Washington and Jefferson (PrAC)
ORV Baldwin Wallace
ORV Thomas More (PrAC)



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2012, 08:20:13 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 16, 2012, 08:07:19 AM
Tuesday Matchups:

Marietta (9-1, 22-4) @ Otterbein (3-7, 16-14):  Blaski vs. Reuter two of the better pitchers in the conference going head to head?  It could make for a quick 7-ining tilt.  Otterbein has been struggling a lot lately.  Marietta is starting to fire on all cylinders.  I look for a Marietta sweep.

BW (7-3, 23-6) @ Heidelberg (5-5, 16-13).  "Must Sweep" is the name of the series for 'Berg.  Beating Pat Havens will be a major challenge for 'Berg.  I look for a split.

Mount Union (7-3, 21-8) @ Capital (1-8, 12-15)  though it isn't a "Must sweep" series for the Raiders, a sweep would certainly help their cause to stay in the hunt.  Capital is bringing up the rear in the conference.  Good teams find ways to beat weaker teams.  Capital just doesn't have the pitching.  Mount sweeps.

Muskingum (7-3, 14-13) @ JCU (5-5, 12-13).  JCU has been quietly hanging around.  Muskingum is in there by the skin of their teeth.  JCU is playing catchup to the others in the pack, and a loss hurts their chances.  I predict a split here.

Wilmington (3-7, 6-17) @ Northern (2-7, 8-18).  Northern should take two.

I'm going with:

Etta sweep.  Ott is done.  The JCU sweep was crushing.  Pios take 2.

BW and Berg split.  Never thought I'd say this, but Berg is just too inconsistent to pick them to sweep a solid team like BW.

Mount sweep.  Cap's pitching is bad.  MUC's offense seems to be decent.  And with Carlino and Murzynski going hopefully they get good pitching today.

Musky and JCU split.  I think Spagna will pitch today and I think Spadaro pitched the other day.  With Musky's hit or miss pitching I think JCU takes one here.

Wilm and ONU split.  We'll see if Wilm pulls the rug out from under me, but let's face it...ONU beat Cap and Ott once.  Wilm swept Ott and beat JCU.  I don't see a lot of difference in the quality of those wins.  Wilm's are better actually.  I'm going with the split I guess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2012, 01:56:46 PM
Havens leaves after 1.2 IP.  Berg leads 3-2.  Wonder if he got hurt?  He was pulled after giving up an RBI triple, but I can't imagine him having that short of a leash.  1 ER in 1.2 IP?  Seems odd.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2012, 02:01:43 PM
Mount seems a little sloppy so far today.  1st and 3rd and nobody out and they don't score thanks to a pick off and the runner being thrown out at home on a ground ball.  Then 2 errors, a walk and a HBP allow Cap to score without a hit.  3-2 MUC leads after 3. 

Wilm and ONU tied 1-1 in the 4th.

JCU up on Musky 4-2 in the 4th.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2012, 02:21:27 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2012, 01:56:46 PM
Havens leaves after 1.2 IP.  Berg leads 3-2.  Wonder if he got hurt?  He was pulled after giving up an RBI triple, but I can't imagine him having that short of a leash.  1 ER in 1.2 IP?  Seems odd.

Shocking indeed.  This is a vetran pitcher who is among the league leaders.  I wouldn't think he would get the hook for giving up a run on a triple.  But he also gave up a home run as well.  3 Hits allowed in eleven batters faced (triple and home run in that total). 

Berg cruising up 6-2 in the fifth.

BW loaded the bases with NO outs in the top of the sixth.  The #8 hitter strikes out looking and the #9 batter grounds into a double play to end the innng without producing.  Had a chance for a big inning and Nutthin'.  Minteer has been rock solid for the 'Berg against a heavy hitting BW club.

BW gets a leadoff Double, a ground out to short, and then a two run blast off the bat of Chontos to cut the lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh.  Then they get a two out double and follow it up with a single to get runners at the corners. Prior to the double there was a dropped foul ball which would have ended the game. Ouch. This is followed up by an RBI single and still Runners at the corners, 'Berg's lead is one.  This chases Ryan Minteer from the game.   Branham walks the bases loaded, and then walks in the tying run.  High Drama!

Berg Gets nothing in their half of the seventh.  FREE BASEBALL at Peacefull VALLEY!

BW gets two singles with one out, a passed ball advances the runners to 2nd and 3rd.  A SAC Fly and a single plates two more unearned runs for the Jackets who now lead 8-6.

WOW!  Elvin Williams gets a Walk Off 2 RBI double to win the game 9-8.  That is a huge win for Heidelberg and a difficult loss for BW at this point. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2012, 02:24:39 PM
Marietta gets an unearned run off of Reuter in the first, an Aaron Hopper Home Run in the third, and a 2 RBI Double by Hopper, a safety squeeze bunt single by Brockmeier in the fifth to get out to a 5-0 lead. 

Otterbein was picked off the base paths TWICE in one inning (the third I think).  Blaski has been solid today in game 1 and has a lead with which to work.

Otterbein brings in Matt Frey in the Top of the 6th to Pitch for Rueter.  Sparkling numbers coming in....Got roughed up a bit today. 

Marietta gets three more in the seventh to push their lead to 8-0.  Blaski's day is done after 6 innings.  6 Hits No Runs, 6 K's and 2 Walks. 

And that is where game one ends.....8-0. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2012, 03:19:37 PM
John Carroll is not going to down without a fight either as they take the first game from Muskingum 4-2. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2012, 03:58:31 PM
Mount downs Cap 7-2 in the opener.

ONU comes back to beat Wilm 5-2.

Big losses for Musky and BW.  The pressure is on them now.  Really need to split.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2012, 04:17:51 PM
Same can be said for 'Berg and JCU too. They need a sweep today to get back in the hunt for post season play....

A little pressure on Mount to not lose one they should win against a really bad team as well.

Most every game for the teams at the top are "pressure packed" to some degree. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 17, 2012, 06:07:57 PM
With the shutout sweep today, the Etta Express now has TEN shutouts on the season.  Can't lose ball games if the other team can't score  :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2012, 06:23:41 PM
Mount handles their business and sweeps Cap.  7-2 and 8-3.  7 game OAC win streak for MUC now dating back to the nightcap of the BW DH.  Connor Mathis went 6 for 9 with 2 doubles and 2 triples.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2012, 06:26:15 PM
BW claws out a 6-5 win to get the split.  But Musky can't get it done...JCU sweeps w/ a 2-1 win in the 9 inning affair.  Man, JCU has to be kicking themselves after splitting with Cap AND Wilm!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2012, 06:29:44 PM
Current standings:

Marietta   11-1
Mount   9-3
BW   8-4
JCU   7-5
Musky   7-5
Berg   6-6
ONU   4-7
Wilm   3-9
Cap   1-10
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2012, 09:20:55 PM
First of all, the league is greatly improved over a year ago. Last season it was 'berg and Marietta and the gap to the next 8 was huge. 

The gap between 1 and two may be a little bigger than last year but the gap between 2 and 6 is much closer.   The race for the last two spots is goIng to be tight.

Marietta. 
Remaining games:  JCU, @BW, @Wilmington.
Predicted finish: 6-0 or 5-1. Blaski and Gasser the rest of the way with no mid week sets. BW is the only team which has enough to pull the upset.
Predicted league record: 17-1 or 16-2.

Mount Union
Remaining games: 'berg, wilmington, muskingum.
Predicted finish: 5-1 or 6-0  I can see a scrappy 'berg team taking one. Muskingum is not that good and well Wilmington.
Predicted league record: 15-3, 14-4

BW.
Remaining games:  onu, Marietta, @Ott
Predicted finish: 4-2 or 5-1 if they can split with mtta.
Predicted league record. 12-6 maybe 13-5


Muskingum
Remaining games: Ott, @onu, @Mt Union
Predicted finish: 3-3 or 4-2. I can see them splitting with either Otterbein or northern. Reuter is a very good pitcher for Otterbein.
Predicted league record: 10-8

John Carroll
Remaining games: @marietta, @berg and @onu.
Predicted finish: 3-3. Split with Berg get swept by Marietta, sweep ONU
Predicted league record:10-8. They have a tie-breaker over muskingum.

Heidelberg:
Remaining games: @mount union, John carroll, capital.
Predicted finish: 3-3 they sweep capital, split with jcu get swept by mount union
Predicted league record: 9-9

Biggest Series remaining:
Marietta @ BW:  If BW wants to work there way to the two seed, it is a must split series with the Pioneers!
'Berg @ Mount Union:  This series is HUGE for both teams.  if 'Berg wants to be there at the end, they have to win at least one if not both.  Mount has to "keep pace." and it is the toughest team remaining on their slate.
'Berg @ JCU:  If 'Berg can work a sweep against John Carroll they may get that #4 spot. 
Muskingum @ Otterbein:  Otterbein is a possible spoiler for the Muskies chances.  Muskingum really needs to sweep the Cardinals to have a shot.


Predicted Tournament matchup:  4 jcu @ 1 Marietta, 3 BW @ 2 mount union.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 18, 2012, 02:36:31 PM
Mount goes for a new school record 24th win today.  They're hosting Penn St. Behrend.  Who knows if they're any good.  They're 21-8 and in 1st place in the AMCC.  But the AMCC is also obviously not a very good conference.  They beat Musky 3 times this season, so I'm guessing they're pretty solid.  Should be a good non-conference game for the Raiders.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 18, 2012, 02:46:50 PM
Beherend College was at the Mideast Regional two years ago.  They were solid.  Of course that was two years ago, too.  They were upset last year by Altoona in the conference championship (who also came to Marietta).  They are leading their league, and I think will be a reasonable test for the Raiders in a mid week contest which will probably not feature either teams Ace.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 19, 2012, 07:59:32 AM
BW and Mount took two tough losses for teams who may be fighting for a pool C bid.  In region losses like that do not help your cause if you are being considered for an at large birth.  (Beherend may be close enough, proximity wise, to be considered "in region" for Mount Union). 

I still think, if Marietta wins the tournament, one of these two will get a Pool C invite.  I would be very suprised if they both did.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 19, 2012, 01:22:03 PM
Saturday's (or with the weather forecast Sunday's) OAC matchups.

Best Matchup of the Weekend
'Berg (6-6, 17-14) @ Mount Union (9-3, 23-9).  Not sure who has more pressure on them for this matchup.  If 'Berg has any shot at the post seasn, they have to get hot quickly.  I would say they need to win a minimum of 4 of their next six if not 5 to get in the OAC tournament.  With JCU and Cap on the Princes schedule, this series looms very large.  For Mount, the pressure is on to stay near the front of the pack.  Not only that, they are also trying to make their pool C resume look as good as possible for the selection committee if they do not win the tournament.  Losing two in region games can be bad news (especially on the heels of the Beherend Loss).  This is the toughest test left for Mount Union.  'Berg can swing it, but Pitching has been sketchy this season.  Mount has been better on the mound and can also swing the sticks.  I predicted a split earlier this week, and I'm staying with that. 

John Carroll (7-5,15-13) @ Marietta (11-1,24-4).  Blaski and Gasser.  Marietta has raised their team batting average 15-20 points in the last month.  Top defensive team in the conference.  JCU has one quality pitcher.  JCU's offensive numbers are nothing which makes people sit back and say "wow!" either.  Marietta sweeps two, and my bold go for the gusto prediction is at least ONE game will be a shutout. 

Ohio Northern (4-7, 10-18) @ BW (8-4, 24-8).  In thinking about "Pool C resume building."  Two in region wins are important for BW.  This is a scrappy Northern team who pitches OK, and hits well, but seems to let teams off the hook regularly with poor defense.  BW wins two because they are that much better.

Otterbein (3-9, 16-16) @ Muskingum (7-5, 14-15) .  Pressure series for Muskingum.  They REALLY need a sweep over the cardinals.  Unfortunately Otterbein will probably have their ace Rueter for at least one of them.  Spadaro will probably get the nod in game one which would make for a pretty interesting pitching matchup.  I see this as two pretty evenly matched teams, and predict a split for the Muskies.

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around, does it make a sound game of the week

Capital (1-10, 12-18) @ Wilmington (3-9, 6-19).  Capital wins two.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 19, 2012, 03:54:35 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 19, 2012, 07:59:32 AM
BW and Mount took two tough losses for teams who may be fighting for a pool C bid.  In region losses like that do not help your cause if you are being considered for an at large birth.  (Beherend may be close enough, proximity wise, to be considered "in region" for Mount Union). 

I still think, if Marietta wins the tournament, one of these two will get a Pool C invite.  I would be very suprised if they both did.

Yesterday was not pretty for MUC.  I knew they'd skimp on the pitching a little, but their infield defense continues to be bad.  And the offense took a bit to get going as the Behrend starter had a perfect game with 2 outs in the 4th.  They'll need to play better Sat or they're going to get swept.  Luckily they've shown a pattern of bouncing back quickly and playing well.
   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 21, 2012, 10:53:44 AM
Berg @ MUC ppd to Sunday.  Looks like based on the OAC site Ott/Musky and Cap/Wilm are as well.  JCU @ Etta and ONU @ BW still on for today.  Unfortunately no live stats at BW today because of the rain. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on April 21, 2012, 11:26:59 AM
Jcu at Marietta postponed until tomorrow
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 21, 2012, 10:58:45 PM
Bw spit the bit today getting a split with northern.

That could be a ver y costly loss.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2012, 10:27:50 AM
Yeah, that definitely doesn't help BW.  9-5 with Etta coming to town.  So basically likely 9-7 with Ott left and Reuter in game 1.  They certainly could have positioned themselves better than they have.  They're going to have some pressure on them that last weekend.

That loss further helps my Raiders though.  Sitting at 9-3 currently w/ BW and JCU both having Etta in the next 7 days.  If Mount can avoid the sweep today and against Musky they're the 2 seed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2012, 03:07:29 PM
Game 1 in the books.  MUC wins 8-6.  Minteer takes the loss.  Carlino gets the win battling some control issues (5 BB, 4 HBP).  Not his sharpest today it would appear, but he did his job and gave them 6.2 IP and a win.  Most impressive thing of game 1 was holding Lizcano to 0-4 including ending the game with the tying run at 2nd. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2012, 03:20:46 PM
Ott beats Musky 4-3 in game 1.  Fish need to salvage a split. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2012, 05:27:21 PM
Musky leads Ott 8-4 in the 8th.

JCU leads Etta 3-0 in the 4th.

Berg up 4-1 in the 7th.

Cap is going to sweep Wilm.  7-6 final and up 11-0 now in the 6th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2012, 06:06:50 PM
Uh oh...Ott came back and tied Musky at 8.  They're in the 10th now.  Fish really need to win this game.

JCU is really playing well recently.  Drop game 1 3-2 in 10.  Leas game 2 8-0 in the 6th.  Looks like they're going to split w/ Etta. 

Berg up 4-3 heading to the bottom of the 9th.

Cap just kicks the PAT...leads Wilm 21-0 now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 22, 2012, 06:18:14 PM
Well one of my predictions looks to be comIng true. A shut out. Just the wrong team being shut out.  Marietta has its worst day of baseball in a long time.  Hitting was awful. Pitching was awful in game two. Weather was the only thing worse than than what Marietta showed today.

Jcu played well today. They came to swing the bats and deserve credit for the victory.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2012, 07:01:18 PM
Wow.  Ott comes back and sweeps Musky, 10-8.

After today we no longer have any ties for the top 4 spots:

Etta   12-2
Mount   10-4
BW   9-5
JCU   8-6

Berg, Musky   7-7
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 23, 2012, 08:55:54 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2012, 07:01:18 PM
Wow.  Ott comes back and sweeps Musky, 10-8.

After today we no longer have any ties for the top 4 spots:

Etta   12-2
Mount   10-4
BW   9-5
JCU   8-6

Berg, Musky   7-7

Etta 12-2  @BW, @Wilmington. Predicted finish:  If the team who played Sunday shows up: 15-3, If the real Mtta team shows up, 16-2.

Mount Union 10-4, Wilmington, Muskingum:  Predicted Finish:  14-4

BW 9-5, Marietta, Otterbein:  Predicted Finish 11-7 (if they can split with Marietta, see above) - 10-8

JCU 8-6, @'Berg, @ Northern:  Predicted Finish 11-7 (Split with 'Berg, although JCU is HOT right now).

'Berg 7-7, JCU, Capital:  predicted Finish:  10-8.

Muskingum 7-7, ONU, @ Mount Union:  Predicted Finish:  9-9
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 24, 2012, 11:48:11 AM
Marietta holds on to the #1 spot in the poll this week.  BW and Mount sneak into ORV with a single, lonely vote apiece. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 25, 2012, 08:00:52 AM
I'm anxious to see if Marietta can get out of their 'funk' they were in on Sunday with a big in-region matchup with rival Wooster. 

And Congratulations to 'Berg Coach Matt Palm for notching his 400th victory yesterday.  He has done a fantastic job at the helm of the Heidelberg baseball program.  He will have his squad back at the top of the heap in short order I'm sure. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 25, 2012, 11:04:43 AM
Who is Lourdes?  BW beat them 20-0 yesterday.  They had 0 R, 4 H and 7 errors in a 9 inning game.  And they're 8-41 overall?  Might as well have played Berea High School and saved Lourdes the gas.

The Wooster/Berg game didn't have the sparkle it would have in the past, but still two solid teams.  Any time you can beat a program like Wooster it's good.  Congrats to Coach Palm.  I was playing when he started there and the difference was immediate and noticeable.  He's done a fantastic job.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 25, 2012, 01:32:30 PM
Lourdes is a new NAIA program in Sylvania, Ohio. They just started Sports in 2010, and added Baseball this spring.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 25, 2012, 05:40:38 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 25, 2012, 11:04:43 AM
Who is Lourdes?  BW beat them 20-0 yesterday.  They had 0 R, 4 H and 7 errors in a 9 inning game.  And they're 8-41 overall?  Might as well have played Berea High School and saved Lourdes the gas.

The Wooster/Berg game didn't have the sparkle it would have in the past, but still two solid teams.  Any time you can beat a program like Wooster it's good.  Congrats to Coach Palm.  I was playing when he started there and the difference was immediate and noticeable.  He's done a fantastic job.

They could've played the high school team; regardless the games would've counted exactly the same towards their overall in-region record....absolutely nothing :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 25, 2012, 07:34:11 PM
Adventures on the bump continued for a few innings for the pioneers.  They outscore the scots 15-9 tonight. Pitching, which has been a core strength all season has been a little shaky the last two games.  Come tourney time this has to change or the season ends much earlier than planned.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 25, 2012, 09:12:17 PM
I don't know the details, No box score yet and I was not at the game, but John Caroll beats OWU 3-1
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2012, 08:10:25 AM
John Carroll may be one of the hottest teams going right now.  They looked very good against Marietta last weekend.  They got good pitching, hit the ball extremely well and made several defensive plays all game long.  They are young but they are gaining confidence every game out and they are hitting their stride at the exact right time.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2012, 04:29:55 PM
Weekend conference matchups for the contenders.

Marietta at BW this weekend.  They need at least a split here to have a chance to lock up the outright title by themselves.  BW is hitting it really well and my pose some problems.  Weather for Berea looks simply awful for Saturday (cold and rainy), much like the weather in Marietta last weekend when they played JCU.  Pitching has been spotty of late, I think they can sweep the jackets, but I'm smelling a split on this one.  BW is playing to stay in the top four (and should do so) the big question is where do they finish.  Of note, I think if Marietta sweeps, they would secure the top seed in the tourney due to Mount Union's split with BW (assuming BW is 3rd) earlier in the year.  Not sure though.
Left for Marietta: @Wilmington (should sweep)
Left for BW: vs. Otterbein.  (Possible split vs. Rueter)

Mount Union vs Wilmington.  Not much to analyze here.  Mount wins two convincingly, and stays one game behind MC with two to go.
Left for Mount Union: vs. Muskingum.  (Sweep)

John Carroll @ 'Berg.  The race for #4 ain't over yet.  A Berg sweep puts them right into the thick of things, and a one game lead over the Streaks. A split and they are tied for that spot, and the tiebreak scenarios begin (JCU split with Marietta, 'Berg was swept...might be the deciding factor if they are tied after next weekend should this happen).  JCU is as hot as they come right now.  They are hitting well, pitching well, and playing with a ton of confidence.  'Berg scratched out a split with Mount Union and BW in their last two league series and beat Wooster mid week.  This is the best matchup of the weekend and probably the most pressure packed.  I predict a split.
Left for JCU: @ Ohio Northern (Sweep)
Left for 'Berg: vs Capital (Sweep)

Muskingum @ Northern Muskingum is still around and will have a say in the race for a little while longer.  I think they split with a pesky ONU squad.
Left for Muskingum: @ Mount Union (get swept)

Otterbein @ Capital: The backyard battle.  Otterbein wins two.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2012, 07:39:02 PM
Marietta pounded out 22 hits in a 15-2 victory over st. Vincent. The pioneers tied a school record with 11 doubles in tonight's game. The offense is clicking right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 27, 2012, 06:28:39 PM
Marietta postpones it's DH at Baldwin Wallace to Sunday....and adds a single non-conference game at Muskingum for tomorrow.

All caused by weather predictions for Ohio this weekend.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 28, 2012, 11:48:02 AM
Looks like all the conference DH have been pushed to Sunday now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 28, 2012, 10:12:04 PM
Marietta played a non-league game against Muskingum today and pounded out 16 runs on 20 hits. They used a host of pitchers who have not thrown any varsity innings this year and a couple of relievers.

Final was 16-5.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2012, 01:10:47 PM
Mount needs to take care of business today and sweep.  That could render next weekend nearly meaningless if they do.  Well, meaningless for OAC tourney purposes.  Still crucial for any at-large chance obviously.  They're going with Carlino in game 1.  Have to imagine Murzynski in game 2 as he hasn't started since April 17th and only has a 1 out save 7 days ago in between.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2012, 02:11:26 PM
Mount leads Wilm 10-1 after 3.  Mathis with a bases clearing double to break it open.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2012, 02:15:42 PM
Etta chases Scott and Blaski is cruising.  7-0 in the 5th.

Berg leads JCU 6-1 in the 4th.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 29, 2012, 02:58:15 PM
Blaski shuts out the leagues top offense (numbers wise) holding BW to three hits in a 7-0 shutout.

The pioneer bats have been hot lately.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2012, 03:01:12 PM
Mount cruises 13-1 final.  Connor Mathis goes 2-4 w/ 5 RBI.  Zach Carlino went 2-3 w/ 3 RBI and a couple doubles to compliment his 6 IP, 0 ER on the hill.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2012, 03:08:32 PM
Berg 7, JCU 1 final.  Nice game by freshman Minteer.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2012, 03:12:30 PM
Musky stays alive, 6-0 over ONU.

Cap downs Ott 5-3 in game 1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 29, 2012, 07:07:09 PM
Marietta shortstop Tim Saunders makes a run for OAC hitter of the week. In 5 games he hit .680 (17 for 25), with 11 runs scored, 6 RBI, 2 3b, 2HR, and 5 stolen bases....and MC won all five!

Raised his overall average a ton this week....back to the all-American status expected of him before this senior season began.  Great week!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 29, 2012, 09:14:31 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 29, 2012, 07:07:09 PM
Marietta shortstop Tim Saunders makes a run for OAC hitter of the week. In 5 games he hit .680 (17 for 25), with 11 runs scored, 6 RBI, 2 3b, 2HR, and 5 stolen bases....and MC won all five!

Raised his overall average a ton this week....back to the all-American status expected of him before this senior season began.  Great week!!!

When Tim came back from Florida, his average was in the low .300's if not below. He is now hitting over .400 on the season and is trying to make a case for conference player of the year.

Hats off to Brian Gasser who settled in after a rough first two innings where he allowed two runs and struggled with his control a little to throw four scoreless after that

And how about Kyle lindquist?  Yet to allow a run earned or otherwise in his multiple relief appearances.  He threw three scoreless against BW today and faced the minimum.

I was surprised by the sweep. Pitching had been a little adventurous the past few games. The guys on the hill were excellent today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 29, 2012, 10:48:50 PM
Quick note before I dash off to work, these Sunday games have been a big inconvenience to the old work schedule.

I see that the Berg live stats froze up before the end of the game. Berg gave up 2 in the 8th to fall behind JCU 8-6 but responded with 4 in the bottom half to go back up 10-8. JCU had runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out but could only plate 1 with an RBI groundout as Daniel Brannum got the final out with the tying run on 3rd base to push the Berg into a tie with BW for 3rd place in the league.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2012, 11:14:08 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 29, 2012, 09:14:31 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on April 29, 2012, 07:07:09 PM
Marietta shortstop Tim Saunders makes a run for OAC hitter of the week. In 5 games he hit .680 (17 for 25), with 11 runs scored, 6 RBI, 2 3b, 2HR, and 5 stolen bases....and MC won all five!

Raised his overall average a ton this week....back to the all-American status expected of him before this senior season began.  Great week!!!

When Tim came back from Florida, his average was in the low .300's if not below. He is now hitting over .400 on the season and is trying to make a case for conference player of the year.

That's an INSANE week!  His average had to have gone up 50 points! 

But I would hope Connor Mathis has the POY in the bag at this point.  He's hitting, what, 50 points better than anyone else at .468?  And leading the conference in RBI with 51.  Trust me, I'm a MUC guy, but I NEVER would give the nod to a soph from MUC over seniors like Saunders and Lizcano who have earned respect by playing at a high level for a long time unless the results of the season made it that obvious.  I think Mathis and Blaski should be the picks.  Consistently excellent from start to finish.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 30, 2012, 08:52:15 AM
Down the Stretch They Come!

1.  Marietta 14-2:  @Wilmington.  Not much to say here.  Wilmington taking two from the Pioneers is highly unlikely.  The tie breakers between them and Mount Union would likely be in Marietta's favor. 

2.  Mount Union 12-4: vs. Muskingum.  A dangerous DH, but one that is certainly VERY winable.

3.  'Berg 9-7: vs Capital.  Not much to say here either.  Capital is pretty bad.

3.  BW 9-7 vs Otterbein.  Otterbein is dangerous.  Rueter is the real deal and could very well induce a double header split.

5.  JCU 8-8 vs. Ohio Northern.  They a sweep and some help.

5.  Muskingum 8-8, they need a sweep and some help. 

Tie break scenarios as I understand (there are MANY).

Marietta and Mount Union:
Marietta swept 'Berg, Mount Split.  Marietta Swept BW, Mount Split.  Advantage Marietta.
'Berg and BW
Berg and BW split.  Both were swept by Marietta and both split with Mount Union.  BW split with JCU, 'Berg swept JCU.  Advantage 'Berg.

To get in....
JCU:  Must win two and either BW split with Otterbein -OR- 'Berg lose two. 
[/li][/list]
Muskingum:  Must win two AND JCU must lose one, AND BW or Heidelberg must split.

So....Clear as mud.

My predicted order of finish:

1.  Marietta (sweeps easliy)
2.  Mount Union (sweeps, not so easily)
3.  'Berg (sweeps easily)
4.  JCU (Sweep ONU, and BW stumbles against Reuter).

The most interesting side note in this tome...Mount Union's Pool C resume.  Though it is etirely possible that Mount Union could win the OAC tournament, they still need to build that Pool C resume in case they do not.  Winning two over muskingum is important.  But I would argue, equally important is their non-leauge DH with Washington and Jefferson.  Getting a SPLIT here would help tremendously when it comes down to making the regional.  I would be interested to hear Dr A's opinion on this.
[/list]
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2012, 10:57:30 AM
Honestly, I assumed Mount needed to go 3-1 heading into the OAC tourney to get a pool C.  If they do that they'll have at least 1 win over W&J and 29 wins.  That should land them over that 30 win mark unless they drop the ball in Marietta and go 2 and out.

The good thing is the pitching sets up fairly nicely.  With the Musky DH next weekend we'll see Carlino and Murzynski again there.  That leaves Smith, Bekelsky, Horning and Pryor all available for W&J.  Now, I'm not sure how Hesse will juggle that to decide who starts against W&J vs. who he wants to hold back as relievers for Musky or if he wants to have each of those guys throw a lower number of innings vs W&J or what, but that gives them some options and all but Smith have done pretty well both starting and relieving.  I'm guessing the senior Smith starts against W&J.  My hunch would be Bekelsky is the other starter.  His last 2 starts (Cap, Berg) he allowed 1 ER in 11.2 IP. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: baseballfan5 on April 30, 2012, 12:42:07 PM
with one week left of OAC play how does everyone see the postseason awards shaping up?

Mathis has to be POY, with Saunders right behind..Thoughts?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 30, 2012, 01:04:51 PM
Austin Blaski is probably a lock for pitcher of the year.  His numbers are more ridiculous than Gasser's were a year ago.  0.64 ERA in 70.2 Innings, 8-1, 77K's, Opponents hitting a paltry .185 against him.  He is probably a good bet for National Pitcher of the Year honors as well.

Saunders is is trying to make his case, and yes Mathis has some gaudy numbers and is probably going to win the honor.  Saunders does it on defense too and that could play into things.

Hesse (sp) would be my choice for Coach of the year for the tremendous job he has done with the Raiders this season. 

Candidates for all OAC from Marietta:  Sanders (SS), Becker (2b) Hopper (OF), Grilliot (OF), Brockmeier (1b) Blaski (P) Lindquist (P), Mulvey (P).  If you consider the defensive side of the ball, there may not be a better catcher in the conference than Alex Toth.  He has a fielding percentage of 1.000 on 259 chances.  He has thrown out 11 batters trying to steal, but opponents are 5-16 (.323) stealing bases against him.  They just don't run on him!  His offensive numbers won't wow you (hitting .294, SLG .412, 1 HR) and that will keep him from being honored as a first team all conference guy, IMO. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2012, 02:26:37 PM
Catcher will be tough because of Meadows.  I think he was hitting around .350 last I saw and he obviously has the track record.  Toth sounds a lot like Martin at Berg.  Excellent defensively, coming around as he gets older offensively. 

I think Blaski is a huge slam dunk.  No brainer.  Mathis is my pick for POY.  Hesse would be a good choice for COY.  Obviously Brewer would be the other choice IMO.

I think Mathis and Murzynski should be 1st team All-OAC.  Murzynski is 8-1, 2.88 ERA.  The problem for him is that you already have Blaski, Havens, Gasser, maybe Lindquist, maybe Reuter.  There's only so many spots.  Do they bump the soph down to 2nd team to let a senior like Reuter make 1st team?  I also think Carlino will be 2nd team at least.  He's a big part of their success pitching at the top of the rotation and batting 5th in the order.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 30, 2012, 03:09:30 PM
What happened to Pat Havens at BW.  His numbers were solid.  And in a situation where BW needed to scratch out a split to lock up a birth in the OAC tourney, he doesn't pitch an inning.  I can only assume he must be hurt.  He threw 1.2 innings at 'Berg and his name hasn't shown up in a box score since. 

If he is injured it could be extremely costly as they are not guaranteed a spot in the tournament at this point.  If they were to split this weekend and JCU bumps them out....Ouch.  School record for wins and don't make the top 4. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 02, 2012, 05:52:54 PM
W&J takes the opener 5-3 over MUC.  A pair of unearned runs in the 5th decided it.  Bekelsky started for MUC.  Looks like W&J used their #2 and #3 guys in this game best I can tell.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 02, 2012, 08:08:30 PM
W&J gets a 2 out, 2 run single for the walk off win in game 2.  5-4 final.  Raiders offense was less than great today with 10 total hits in the DH.  Not horrible, but it's tough to beat good teams on the road scoring 3 or 4 runs unless you're strolling in w/ Etta's staff.  The good news is that I think Mount is right there w/ teams like W&J.  Definitely wouldn't be sad to see them again.  The bad news is they REALLY needed a split.  They could have gotten a sweep.  Instead they got nothing.  That hurts big time.  They absolutely need to sweep Musky after today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2012, 08:22:47 PM
Dr a, that definitely hurts the pool c resume. They really need to make it to the championship game next weekend to help their chances, and hope for some other teams out there to fall.

Mount's resume:
W-L:  26-12
In Region Record:  24-11 (.686)
NCAA Strenght of Schedule (.527, #116)
RPI (.25*reg win pct +.75 * SOS): .567  (Had they swept W&J, this number would have been .581)
Wins against Regionally Ranked Opponents:  1 (vs Marietta)
Record against Regionally Ranked Opponents: 1-3 (1-1 vs. Marietta, 0-2 vs. Washington and Jefferson)

In many ways that series with w&j was equally important as the games against muskingum and in Some ways more so. Wins against regionally ranked opponents, region win pct etc. 

I was pulling hard for the raiders to take two. Just wasn't their night.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 04, 2012, 05:34:14 PM
Marietta locks up the outright league title with a game one 1. 11-0.

They lead game 2 in the sixth 9-4.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on May 04, 2012, 11:47:55 PM
Marietta wins game 2 12-5. Now  32-5 with 3 more games this weekend to wrap up the regular season before the OAC tourney gets started
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2012, 03:01:25 PM
MUC gives up the tying run in the top of the 7th and a run in the top of the 8th, but rallies for 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th to win game 1, 4-3.  Mathis singled, advanced to 2nd on the game tying single from Carlino, stole 3rd and scored the game winner on a sac fly from Stotler.  Carlino had another solid day going all 8 innings improving to 6-1.  He's really developed into a good pitcher as the season has gone on.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2012, 03:06:11 PM
Reuter out duels Havens as Ott takes the opener at BW 4-1.  Havens went 6 shutout innings, but the bullpen couldn't hold the 1-0 lead.  Meadows hits a grand slam off of Tenley in the top of the 7th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2012, 03:12:21 PM
Berg beats Cap 6-1.  Minteer tosses a CG, no ER. 

JCU 5, ONU 0.  Spagna 2 hits the Bears.  BW and JCU both 9-8 now.  I think if they both win JCU gets in due to beating Etta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2012, 03:41:46 PM
Had a hunch about BW and Otterbein last week.  (I'll try not to break my arm patti g myself on the back)  :D

Muskingum is out.

'berg likely wraps up the three seed.

If jcu comes through with a win they will be the 4.

Kudos to the berg for fighting down the stretch and getting into the tournament.

BW has to be kicking themselves. School record for wins and looks like they won't make the oac tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2012, 06:50:50 PM
Musky battles back for the split.  3-1 final in game 2.  Raiders offense held to only 4 hits by Free. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2012, 11:14:37 PM
'berg @ mount 7:00 pm.
Jcu @ Etta. 3:30 pm

Two solid matchups for the opening round of the tourney

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 06, 2012, 12:07:34 AM
Wow that stings for BW.  All you had to do was split w/ Ott at home and you make the tourney.  Instead your high powered offense gets shut down all day.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on May 07, 2012, 10:04:42 AM
DR. A, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ALMA MATRE MAKING THE OAC TOURNAMENT.  THEY HAVE HAD A FINE YEAR. I WISH THEM ALL THE LUCK, EXCEPT, OF COURSE VS. THE BERG.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 07, 2012, 10:47:56 AM
The opening games will be great for fans of pitching!

' Berg's Minteer:  (4-2, 2.89 ERA, 56.0 IP, WHIP of 1.42, OBA .248, 34K's,16 BB )
vs.
Mount's Murzynski: (8-2, 2.93 ERA, 61.1 IP, WHIP of 1.50, OBA .284, 28 K's, 18 BB)

Neither is a strike out guy, but both make you earn it.  Defense will be a difference maker!  This one could go either way.

Minteer pitched 3 innings against Mount Union earlier in the year, allowing 3 earned runs and only pitching three innings.  Murzynski pitched a third of an inning in relief of Carlino.

JCU's Spagna (4-5, 3.28 ERA, 68.2IP, WHIP of 1.45, OBA .217, 36K's, 37 BB)
vs.
Etta's Blaski (9-1, 0.58 ERA, 77.2 IP, WHIP of 0.95, OBA .183, 85K's, 23 BB)

Spagna held Marietta in check the first time they met in Marietta, allowing 2 unearned runs, while pitching 5.1 innings.  Blaski also allowed 2 unearned against JCU in that same game. A game which Marietta ended up winning in the 10th 3-2 (it was the scheduled 7 inning game.)



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2012, 03:12:08 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if Zach Carlino (6-1, 3.00 ERA) starts for Mount.  The Raiders need to wake the bats up a little bit.  Minteer has been throwing well recently and the MUC bats haven't been great the last week or two.  The combination of the two could spell trouble if they don't find their groove a little bit.  Puts a lot of pressure on the pitching and D. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2012, 03:15:38 PM
Quote from: Gramps on May 07, 2012, 10:04:42 AM
DR. A, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ALMA MATRE MAKING THE OAC TOURNAMENT.  THEY HAVE HAD A FINE YEAR. I WISH THEM ALL THE LUCK, EXCEPT, OF COURSE VS. THE BERG.

Thanks Gramps.  I'd never expect you to root against Coach Palm and the boys.  Mount has had a nice year so far.  Very proud of this squad as they're literally all sophomores and freshmen.  You have to give Coach Hesse (and Agona and Armstrong) credit for keeping them on track all season.  They really have played consistently good ball for long stretches.  Bodes well for the future and that's exciting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 08, 2012, 12:06:05 AM
EttaFan,

The 3 runs Minteer allowed vs. Mount were only earned due to a highly questionable scoring decision. He pitched far better than that and should have been out of the inning with no runs allowed. Since the defensive changes Berg made after that game they have not lost.

Gramps,

Mount is also my alma mater but rooting interests change when your kid is playing against them. My mother actually asked me who I would be cheering for when Berg played them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 09, 2012, 09:22:16 AM
Posted on Marietta's website, TIME CHANGES for the OAC tournament games...

Game 1:  JCU @ Marietta 1:00 PM
Game 2:  'Berg @ Mount Union 4:00 PM

Friday:
Game 3: Winners from Thursday, 11:00 AM
Game 4:  Losers from Thursday, 2:00 PM
Game 5:  Winner of Game 4 vs Loser Game 3, 5:00 PM

Saturday:
Game 6: 12:00 PM
Game 7: (if necessary) 3:00 PM

Links for live video, audio when available, and live stats and the like are here:

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/index.aspx?path=bb_12oac (http://pioneers.marietta.edu/index.aspx?path=bb_12oac)

Good luck to all teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2012, 03:51:15 PM
Marietta wins game 1, 8-1 behind a solid pitching effort from Austin Blaski.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2012, 04:32:29 PM
Looks like Carlino did indeed start for MUC.  Minteer, however, did not start for Berg.  Chris Thomas on the hill.  Scoreless after 1.5 innings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2012, 05:02:56 PM
Berg up 2-0 after 3.  Thomas was a single from the #8 hitter away from 9 up 9 down.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2012, 05:42:25 PM
Berg up 3-0 after 6.  Raiders offense is stil in that funk they've been in the last couple weeks.  3 hits today and 2 are from the same guy (Mathis). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2012, 06:22:12 PM
Berg's Thomas has been lights out today. Was a little surprised they didn't pitch Minteer. However thomas has been the real deal. Mount has really struggled at the plate today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2012, 07:43:03 PM
Aside from Mathis Mount's top/middle of the order has been scuffling the last few games.  If the guys in front of Mathis don't get on and the guys behind him don't drive in runs it's not going to go well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2012, 11:23:14 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2012, 06:22:12 PM
Berg's Thomas has been lights out today. Was a little surprised they didn't pitch Minteer. However thomas has been the real deal. Mount has really struggled at the plate today.

Berg wins 6-1.  Thomas was fantastic. CG, 7K.  Maybe he just needs to throw in tourney games at Etta?  Because he seems to step up in that situation big time.

Mount really needs to get the bats going or it's going to be a real quick visit to the river.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 11, 2012, 09:53:36 AM
I probably won't get to see the Mount and John Carroll game today, but I think Mount has a distinct advanatage over the Streaks in most phases of the game, particularly pitching.  Murzinski is probably better than anyone Carroll can throw at this point. 

I will be at the Marietta vs. Heidelberg game.  Minteer vs. Gasser should be an interesting matchup.  Gasser has struggled at times with his control.  Marietta needs a quality start from him today.  Some early run support would also be welcomed.

I was impressed with 'Berg yesterday.  They hit the ball really well.  Their defense was strong.  Elvin Williams seemed to really shine.  He had 4 RBI's and two or three stellar defensive plays as well.  The changes Coach Palm made seem to be really paying off.

Interesting thing about Thomas.  He started one of the regular season games against Marietta.  Marietta shelled him early and often and chased him from the game.  He really stepped up yesterday. 

Spagna from JCU struggled to throw strikes against the Pioneers yesterday.  He was going deep into the count and was behind the hitters all day long.  Interestingly Coach T said on the radio prior to the game, he is effective when he gets ahead of hitters and gets his breaking stuff in the zone.  Ironically, Spagna struggled to do just that.

'Berg is the hottest team in the tournament right now.  They have won several in a row and will provide a tough test for the Pioneers. 

Going to be a beautiful day in the valley for baseball
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 11, 2012, 02:22:02 PM
That was not pretty, after about the 5th inning....

Minteer had a lot of trouble throwing strikes.  He was getting a few calls on the outside corners but tried to nibble way too much and found himself in A LOT of trouble.  He walked far too many and hit too many.  He survived as long a he did because Marietta couldn't come up with the big two out hit.  He stranded the bases loaded at least twice.

Then the wheels came off. 

'Berg's bullpen was seriously roughed up today.

Gasser got a quality start, going six innings, allowing just the one run and striking out 6.  Tim Saunders had a monster day at the plate.  5-5, 3R 6 RBI, 3B, and HR.  On his fifth hit, I thought he MIGHT try to stretch it to a double (would have been a very close play) but he did the "right thing" and pulled up for a single. 

Mount Union and JCU up next....Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to stay for that one.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2012, 04:23:42 PM
JCU and MUC tied 3-3 after 5.  Spagna had a 3-run 2B in the 1st for JCU.  Mount plated 3 in the 4th on a ground out by Carlino and a 2-run 1B from Stotler. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2012, 04:43:28 PM
Couple walks and a 3-run homer from Stotler make it 6-3 Mount after 6.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2012, 05:18:17 PM
Mount has blown it open with 6 runs so far in the 8th.  Back breaker was a 3-run triple from Mathis.  12-3 MUC still in the top of the 8th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2012, 05:49:00 PM
12-4 final.  Mount now plays Berg in a few minutes to see who gets to try to beat Etta twice tomorrow.  Bad news for Mount is they got owned by Berg yesterday.  Good news is they have two good pitchers ready to go and their slumping bats seemed to wake up today.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 11, 2012, 08:36:17 PM
Elvin Williams is having himself one heckuva tournament. Two three-run homers over the weekend so far. That is impressive.

Berg's pitching has got to be a mar concern heading into tomorrow, though.

Unfortunately mount's season is probably going to end here. I would be surprised if the Raiders will be able to get a pool c at large bid. Congratulations to the raiders for a very good season. They have a good nucleus and will be a force in the oaf next year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2012, 11:44:16 PM
Well, that was an ugly end to the season.  While I hate to see the season end with a blowout loss I think Mount fans have to keep in mind that was a GREAT season for us.  My quick thoughts:

School record 28 wins including 13-5 in the OAC.  Obviously, that's the best finish we've had.  Considering the fact that all 9 position players were soph/fresh that's extremely impressive.  The pitching staff was equally as young too.  Lots to build on for 2013.

Connor Mathis had one of the best individual seasons in Raider history.  His .450 and 56 RBI both lead the OAC.  He can hit, he can bunt, he can steal bases, he can play defense.  He's exactly the type of kid you want build your lineup around. 

Matt Murzynski had a 1st team All-OAC quality season (9-2, 3.03 ERA).  He was the consistent starter they absolutely needed with their overall inexperience.  Before the season I thought that would fall on Smith's shoulders, but to Murzynski's credit he handled it as a soph. 

Zach Carlino developed into a legit good OAC starting pitcher this year (6-2, 3.59 ERA).  He took some lumps last year, but he clearly grew from it.  As the season went on it seemed like he learned how to pitch when he wasn't at his sharpest.  He figured out ways to get out of innings, limit damage, etc.  That will be huge going forward because grinding out innings adds up over a 40+ game season.  He and Murzynski are a good 1-2 going into next year. 

The rest of the pitching staff filled out pretty well with Horning, Bekelsky and Pryor.  This should be the deepest rotation they've had that I can ever remember going forward.  With a staff ERA around 4.00 that is unquestionably the biggest improvement from past squads to this current roster.  As Etta has proven forever, deep staffs produce results especially in OAC play.  You HAVE to have 4 solid starters to contend.  That's how you sweep the bad teams and split with the good teams.  You have to give yourself a good chance to win every OAC game.  They should be in that position the next 2 years now.

Overall, very proud of the 2012 Raiders.  Great progress.  If they keep working, keep developing they'll put themselves in a position to get a pool C bid in the future. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 12, 2012, 04:03:47 PM
Dr. Acula, Congratulations to the Purple Raiders. It is good to see a young team come together and step up. Could develop ionto a three team race the next couple of years with Etta, Berg, and Mount. Good luck in the future.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 12, 2012, 04:19:31 PM
Congratulations to both Marietta and Heidelberg.

Fruwirth pitched pretty well today. He induced a lot of easy fly ball outs and kept things within striking distance.

Lizcano, while he didn't have a great game today, has earned a lot of respect in his career from Marietta and the rest of the oac. The young man is a very talented individual and I congratulate him on an outstanding career.  You could tell every time he came up to bat, pitchers pitched very carefully to him.

Berg proved to be a very worth adversary, as usual.

Marietta had a strong tournament on the mound. They hit well at times. Tim Saunders is one of the best short stops I've seen at Marietta in my twenty years following the team. Offense, defense, base running. The kid can do it all. The only guy who might have been better is Bob Eddy. I know Mathis had great numbers for mount union, but it would be hard to argue with Saunders. Wong named player of the year in the league and the region. Coach Palm remarked that he believes saunders may be the best player i. Division 3. He has been fun to watch.

Time for the regional!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 12, 2012, 06:40:22 PM
Congrats to Marietta, but the All Tournament Team is a joke. It must have been voted on by the Marietta coaches.

Hopper and Toth are ridiculous picks. Lizcano out hit Hopper .412 to .385 and played a solid right field. Lizcano had 19 fielding chances to only 8 for Hopper so it wasn't due to his defense.

Stotler of Mount out hit Toth .583 to .333. Toth had 3 hits and 4 total bases in 4 games while Stotler had 7 hits and 10 total bases in only 3 games.

Also, how Brockmeier gets picked at first is a mystery when Eric Monroe out hit him .500 to .364. And the Berg players had to hit against those 2 All Tournament pitchers who only went 6 innings each. I guess they just took the top 4 Marietta batting averages and they automatically made All Tournament. Saunders deserves MVP but the other 3 position players pale in comparison to others.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 12, 2012, 09:35:14 PM
The all tournament team.

Dick Fishbaugh Tournament MVP: Tim Saunders, Marietta

Pitcher: Chris Thomas, Heidelberg
Pitcher: Brian Gasser, Marietta
Pitcher: Austin Blaski, Marietta
Catcher: Alex Toth, Marietta
First Base: Eric Monroe, Heidelberg
First Base: Evan Brockmeier, Marietta
Second Base: Joe Staab, Heidelberg
Third Base: Steven Kisan, Heidelberg
Shortstop: Tim Saunders, Marietta
Outfield: Ryan Konsler, John Carroll
Outfield: Connor Mathis, Mount Union
Outfield: Elvin Williams, Heidelberg
Outfield: Aaron Hopper, Marietta

Monroe is on the all tournament team.

'berg is well represented on the list.  5 players honored. 6 Marietta players honored. Sometimes it isn't about the numbers it is about how you help your team in these situations.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on May 12, 2012, 10:02:40 PM
In defense of Toth being selected to the all tourny team some other numbers of importance:

Toth  3 for 9 in 3 games not 4, 1 K, 2 rbi 3 BB,  threw out 2 stealing, no stolen bases allowed, team 3-0
Stotler 7 for 12 in 3 games      , 1 K, 6 rbi, 1 BB, 5 stolen bases allowed, team 1-2

different strengths, different weaknesses, I'll take Toth
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 13, 2012, 12:55:19 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 12, 2012, 09:35:14 PM
The all tournament team.

Dick Fishbaugh Tournament MVP: Tim Saunders, Marietta

Pitcher: Chris Thomas, Heidelberg
Pitcher: Brian Gasser, Marietta
Pitcher: Austin Blaski, Marietta
Catcher: Alex Toth, Marietta
First Base: Eric Monroe, Heidelberg
First Base: Evan Brockmeier, Marietta
Second Base: Joe Staab, Heidelberg
Third Base: Steven Kisan, Heidelberg
Shortstop: Tim Saunders, Marietta
Outfield: Ryan Konsler, John Carroll
Outfield: Connor Mathis, Mount Union
Outfield: Elvin Williams, Heidelberg
Outfield: Aaron Hopper, Marietta

Monroe is on the all tournament team.

'berg is well represented on the list.  5 players honored. 6 Marietta players honored. Sometimes it isn't about the numbers it is about how you help your team in these situations.

It isn't about # of Berg players chosen that I have a problem. Don't think Staab or Kisan were necessarily deserving of All Tournament recognition either. Just going on a position by position basis I didn't think the players chosen were the best at their position in the tournament. I know Monroe was chosen, but why 2 first basemen when one drastically out hit the other?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 13, 2012, 10:13:09 AM
While my thought on this is based purely on anecdotal observations, typically the team or teams who are playing in the championship game are the ones who place a lot of players on the all tournament teams.  Yes other players from the teams who were eliminated putnupmgood numbers, but the bottom line is their teams are not there on Saturday when it really counts.

Marietta did not have a lot of offensive performances which would make you go "wow," but they along with Heidelberg were the two playing for the trophy.  If Mount Union were playing on Saturday, rate they would have been better represented on the honor roll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 14, 2012, 11:11:08 AM
All OAC Post Season awards.

Player of The Year: Tim Saunders
Pitcher of the Year: Austin Blaski

C: Wes Meadows - OTT
1b: Evan Brockmeier - MAR
2b: Kirby Becker - MAR
3b:  Mitch Herringshaw - JCU
SS:  Tim Saunders - MAR
OF: Connor Mathis - UMU
OF: Ricardo Lizcano - HEID
OF: Aaron Hopper - MAR
UTL: Zack Carlino - UMU
P: Austin Blaski - MAR
P: Brian Gasser - MAR
P: Pat Havens -BW
P: Kyle Linquist - MAR
P: Matt Murzynski - UMU

2nd Team:
C: Alex Toth - MAR
1b: Kyle Chontos- BW
2b: Jay Yost - BW
SS: Anthony Longhitano - BW
OF: Jordan Grilliot - MAR
OF: Patrick Jackon - CAP
OF: Tom Linder - OTT
OF: Ross Pruitt - HEID
OF: Brendan Toughy - BW
UTL:  Jimmy Spagna - JCU
P: Logan Lewis -MAR
P: Ryan Minteer - 'Berg
P: Dustin Reuter - OTT
P: Todd Spadaro - MUSK

Honorable Mention:
C: Jordan Martin - HEID
1b: Billy Harkenrider - OTT
1b: Tom Hickey - JCU
1b: Eric Monroe - HEID
2b: Devin Kisor - ONU
3b: Bryan Gregorich - MA
SS:  Lee Groscup - UMU
OF: Darren Garrett - MUSK
OF: Ricky Olasz - UMU
OF: Elvin Williams- HEID
OF: Eric Yunker - ONU
UTL: Hunter Justus- WILM
P: David Cydrus -OTT
P: Matt Free -MUSK
P: Mike Mulvey - MAR

Congratulations to all of these young men for their honors!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 22, 2012, 01:46:07 PM
Congratulations to Marietta's Austin Blaski for being named the D3Baseball.com pitcher of the year and 1st team All American.  First team honors were also awarded to Tim Saunders and Kyle Lindquist.  Aaron Hopper garnered third team recognition. 

Bryce Murhpy from Manchester and Kyle Strawn from Adrian were the only other Mideast region honorees. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 30, 2012, 06:00:52 PM
Congratulations Etta!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BigRed on May 30, 2012, 07:56:07 PM
Congrats to the Etta Express!  Always good to have the Mideast region win the whole thing to show why Mideast baseball is the best. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 30, 2012, 11:02:36 PM
Way to go Etta!  Back to back is unbelievable.  Truly the gold standard for D3 baseball.

And I'm very happy for Gasser and Mahaffey. Two seniors who've done it on the big stage do it again today and go out on top. Quite a senior class.  With Berg's class last year and this class that's two straight historic classes in the OAC.  Great thing for the conference. It pushes all the programs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 31, 2012, 01:01:10 PM
Congratulations to Marietta on Back to Back National Championships. I agree with the Doctor, that is quite a accomplishment.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: bufordscot on May 31, 2012, 02:16:03 PM
Congrats to Etta and your fans.  Even you Spence, we know you're lurking out there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 31, 2012, 02:57:21 PM
Quote from: bufordscot on May 31, 2012, 02:16:03 PM
Congrats to Etta and your fans.  Even you Spence, we know you're lurking out there.

Thats a name I have not seen in a while. When I first started lurking and was reading all the historical boards of the conferences my kid was interested in, Spence showed up a lot. Quite a few battles between him and the other posters.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 02, 2012, 10:18:56 AM
Congratulations to Etta's Tim Saunders and Austin Blaski along with MUC's Connor Mathis.  The trio all landed First Team ABCA/Rawlings All-American honors. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on June 02, 2012, 11:27:48 AM
^^^^ also to Alex Toth, who received the abca/rawlings Gold Glove award for the nation's top defensive catcher.

All four were very deserving of the accomplishments...Congrats!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 04, 2012, 12:51:11 PM
I think that's back to back for the OAC with that too as I believe Jordan Martin won the Gold Glove at catcher last season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on June 04, 2012, 01:54:15 PM
And Danny jones of Marietta won it the year before that
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BigPoppa on June 04, 2012, 03:18:44 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on May 31, 2012, 02:57:21 PM
Quote from: bufordscot on May 31, 2012, 02:16:03 PM
Congrats to Etta and your fans.  Even you Spence, we know you're lurking out there.

Thats a name I have not seen in a while. When I first started lurking and was reading all the historical boards of the conferences my kid was interested in, Spence showed up a lot. Quite a few battles between him and the other posters.

You'd be surprised where Spence is these days:)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: countyroad on June 05, 2012, 09:08:57 AM
Spence!!!  :o  NOOOOOOOO!

I'd be interested in where he is.


Congrats to Marietta while I'm here. Impressive season guys.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 05, 2012, 02:38:23 PM
Congratulations to Evan Brockmeier (Etta) and Brendan Toughey (BW).  Both juniors were named 2nd team Academic All-American.  Both good players and evidently excellent students as well.  Always great to see.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 05, 2012, 03:05:51 PM
With another title in his pocket is there any chance someone tries to lure Brewer away?  I know Carbone retired at OU.  I think YSU is open.  Michigan is looking which may mean another big school that could be interested in Stricklin (which would open the Kent job).  Not sure about the rest of the MAC.  Ball St. maybe?  Just wondering because this type of success is certainly going to bring attention.  Just not sure if he would leave since he's an Etta guy.  Any Etta guys have any opinions?

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on June 05, 2012, 05:08:13 PM
I don't want to speak for Brewer obviously, but when he was chosen by Coach Schaly (and yes, he was handpicked by Coach), I'm pretty sure it was assumed it would be a coach-here-until-retirement type of commitment.  Other jobs may pay better, but Brewer IS Marietta baseball....he won't be leaving.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on June 05, 2012, 05:10:54 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on June 05, 2012, 05:08:13 PM
I don't want to speak for Brewer obviously, but when he was chosen by Coach Schaly (and yes, he was handpicked by Coach), I'm pretty sure it was assumed it would be a coach-here-until-retirement type of commitment.  Other jobs may pay better, but Brewer IS Marietta baseball....he won't be leaving.
There are not too many jobs in the 600 schools below D-1 that are better than Marietta's head coach.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettanut4life on June 05, 2012, 05:22:17 PM
OU and YSU aren't schools capable of luring him away in my oPinion. Sure the pay would be better, and the facilities may be a little better. But he is a Marietta guy, was an all American as a player. Has now won 3 national championships. Is loved and respected by the entire community, and continues to bring in top notch talent that allow him to continuously win year in and year out. All honesty, may be a little far fetched, but I truly believe he'd have to hear from the Big Ten to lure him from Marietta. The MAC schools (aside from kent) just don't seem appealing enough to leave Marietta
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on June 05, 2012, 05:55:16 PM
Have heard rumors that John Schaly (Ashland) is a serious candidate for the Ohio U job.

Brockmeier is a petroleum engineering major as well so his academics are rock solid.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on June 07, 2012, 08:18:08 PM
More awards for Blaski and Saunders....honored as player and pitcher of the year respectively by NCBWA!

http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2012/div3players120607.html

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on June 07, 2012, 08:32:59 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on June 07, 2012, 08:18:08 PM
More awards for Blaski and Saunders....honored as player and pitcher of the year respectively by NCBWA!

http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/2012/div3players120607.html
Congratulations to both. Well deserved.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on June 08, 2012, 06:02:45 AM
A TIP OF GRAMP'S HAT TO AUSTIN BLASKI AND TIM SAUNDERS ON BEING DRAFTED BY MLB .  BEST OF LUCK TO BOTH OF THEM IN THEIR FUTURE CAREERS AS PRO BASEBALL PLAYERS.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 15, 2012, 10:25:47 AM
Quote from: ettanut4life on June 05, 2012, 05:22:17 PM
OU and YSU aren't schools capable of luring him away in my oPinion. Sure the pay would be better, and the facilities may be a little better. But he is a Marietta guy, was an all American as a player. Has now won 3 national championships. Is loved and respected by the entire community, and continues to bring in top notch talent that allow him to continuously win year in and year out. All honesty, may be a little far fetched, but I truly believe he'd have to hear from the Big Ten to lure him from Marietta. The MAC schools (aside from kent) just don't seem appealing enough to leave Marietta

OU hired former Purdue pitching coach and current Creighton Assoc. HC Rob Smith.  The problem in baseball is the incentive of money is largely eliminated.  I believe Brewer has an admin title like Asst. AD as well.  Guys like him and Palm (AD at Berg) are probably making as much or more than the HC at OU or other MAC schools.  So unless the end game is a Big Ten job like you mentioned I don't think the MAC gigs are that appealing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 20, 2012, 12:02:07 PM
Summer League updates:

Chris Thomas (Berg) is having a great summer so far for the Chillicothe Paints in the Prospect League.  He's 3-0 with a save and is 2nd in the league with a 0.98 ERA through 18.1 IP.

Aaron Hopper (Etta) is also playing for the Paints.  He's currently hitting .271 w/ 6 RBI in 48 AB. 

Nolan Neuschaefer (BW) is also playing in the Prospect League for Lorain.  He's hitting .274 w/ 7 extra base hits in 62 AB.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 28, 2012, 03:35:58 PM
Couple OAC recruiting notes from NE Ohio:

Akron Firestone LHP Brandon Maddern to JCU (http://www.ohio.com/blogs/varsity-letters/varsity-letters-1.279974/separate-falcons-decide-college-futures-1.305513)

Akron SVSM 1B/P Adam Journic to Cap (http://www.ohio.com/blogs/varsity-letters/varsity-letters-1.279974/three-st-v-m-baseball-players-make-decisions-1.305511)

Massillon Jackson P/OF Chris Infantiedes and Massillon Tuslaw LHP/OF Philip Zorger to MUC (http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x1267871225/Area-college-signings-for-June-9)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gramps on June 28, 2012, 10:57:58 PM
Congrats to Ricardo Lizcano (Heidelberg) on being signed by the St Louis. Cardinals.  He will be assigned to the Johnson City club as a catcher. Best of luck to a great young man.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 29, 2012, 08:00:35 AM
Quote from: Gramps on June 28, 2012, 10:57:58 PM
Congrats to Ricardo Lizcano (Heidelberg) on being signed by the St Louis. Cardinals.  He will be assigned to the Johnson City club as a catcher. Best of luck to a great young man.

Awesome news!  Good luck to Ricardo and the Etta duo this summer.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on July 04, 2012, 12:10:11 PM
Through nine games played, Saunders has spent some time as a shortstop and some as a third baseman. He has hit in the bottom of the order, the top of the order, and I'm the #3 spot. He is hitting .471 in 34 at bats.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=623502
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on July 04, 2012, 01:38:51 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on July 04, 2012, 12:10:11 PM
Through nine games played, Saunders has spent some time as a shortstop and some as a third baseman. He has hit in the bottom of the order, the top of the order, and I'm the #3 spot. He is hitting .471 in 34 at bats.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=623502
Great to hear. I wish him the best.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on July 04, 2012, 01:41:22 PM
How does Marietta feel about losing Deegan? Will he be hard to replace?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 05, 2012, 11:57:01 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on June 20, 2012, 12:02:07 PM
Summer League updates:

Chris Thomas (Berg) is having a great summer so far for the Chillicothe Paints in the Prospect League.  He's 3-0 with a save and is 2nd in the league with a 0.98 ERA through 18.1 IP.

Aaron Hopper (Etta) is also playing for the Paints.  He's currently hitting .271 w/ 6 RBI in 48 AB. 

Nolan Neuschaefer (BW) is also playing in the Prospect League for Lorain.  He's hitting .274 w/ 7 extra base hits in 62 AB.

Hopper has turned it on and has his average up to .320 now.  He's also showing some really good pop with 9 doubles and 5 HR included in his 32 hits.  He ranks in the top 10 in the Prospect League in HR, RBI and slugging.

Thomas continues to throw well.  He's now 4-0 w/ a save through 27.1 IP.  He is 4th in the league with a 1.65 ERA.  He is also 4th in BAA at .200.

Neuschaefer is currently hitting .257 in 105 AB.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 05, 2012, 12:04:53 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on July 04, 2012, 01:41:22 PM
How does Marietta feel about losing Deegan? Will he be hard to replace?

This is a question for the Etta guys, but my $0.02...I think the answer is yes and no.  Deegan was the Assoc. HC I believe.  He was undoubtedly heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the program.  Any time you lose a guy that involved with the daily stuff it stings.  This is especially true if he's been a main recruiter and has developed ties to HS coaches over the years.  So it might be a short-term pain for Brewer. 

At the same time, this is Marietta baseball.  As long as they field a team they're going to be good.  And certainly as long as Brewer is in charge they'll be very good.  Too much tradition, too much history, too good of a track record developing talent.  Not even Don Schaly being gone hurt the program.  There's no way losing an asst. is going to hurt the program in any long-term way. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on July 07, 2012, 02:51:22 PM
Prospect League All Star team announced yesterday.

Includes following D3 players on the East squad:

Chris Thomas - Heidelberg 4-0 with 1 save, 1.65 ERA, 25Ks, 14BB in 27.1 innings
Aaron Hopper - Marietta .324BA, 6HR, 30RBI in 108ABs
JT Miller - Wabash 3-1, 3.54 ERA, 33Ks, 4BB in 28 innings
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on July 09, 2012, 01:43:31 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 05, 2012, 12:04:53 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on July 04, 2012, 01:41:22 PM
How does Marietta feel about losing Deegan? Will he be hard to replace?

This is a question for the Etta guys, but my $0.02...I think the answer is yes and no.  Deegan was the Assoc. HC I believe.  He was undoubtedly heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the program.  Any time you lose a guy that involved with the daily stuff it stings.  This is especially true if he's been a main recruiter and has developed ties to HS coaches over the years.  So it might be a short-term pain for Brewer. 

At the same time, this is Marietta baseball.  As long as they field a team they're going to be good.  And certainly as long as Brewer is in charge they'll be very good.  Too much tradition, too much history, too good of a track record developing talent.  Not even Don Schaly being gone hurt the program.  There's no way losing an asst. is going to hurt the program in any long-term way. 

Losing Coach Deegan is significant, but not insurmountable.  Mike is a great person and knows the game.  He was an excellent teacher of the game.  I think that comes from working for Brian the past several years.  Yes Mike brings a lot to the table and it will be difficult to replace those attributes.  At the same time, many of the qualities Dennison is getting in a head coach were learned by playing for Coach Schaly and working for Coach Brewer. 

Coach Brewer will find a quality young man to step into that role (Dom Winters, asst coach at Muskingum, perhaps).  That person may not be at the same level of ability as Mike was, but he will get there quickly. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 13, 2012, 05:18:08 PM
Nice!!  From chicagocubsonline.com: (http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2012/07/cubsminors71212.php#more)

Arizona Rookie League
Ladies and Gentleman, your first place Cubs! Sounds nice, doesn't it, even if it is only the AZL Cubs. Tim Saunders continues to be a one-man wrecking crew for the 12-4 Cubs, as he raised his average to .547 with two home runs and 11 RBI. He even showed off his versatility by lining up in centerfield for a few games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on July 14, 2012, 11:41:26 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on July 09, 2012, 01:43:31 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 05, 2012, 12:04:53 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on July 04, 2012, 01:41:22 PM
How does Marietta feel about losing Deegan? Will he be hard to replace?

This is a question for the Etta guys, but my $0.02...I think the answer is yes and no.  Deegan was the Assoc. HC I believe.  He was undoubtedly heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the program.  Any time you lose a guy that involved with the daily stuff it stings.  This is especially true if he's been a main recruiter and has developed ties to HS coaches over the years.  So it might be a short-term pain for Brewer. 

At the same time, this is Marietta baseball.  As long as they field a team they're going to be good.  And certainly as long as Brewer is in charge they'll be very good.  Too much tradition, too much history, too good of a track record developing talent.  Not even Don Schaly being gone hurt the program.  There's no way losing an asst. is going to hurt the program in any long-term way. 

Losing Coach Deegan is significant, but not insurmountable.  Mike is a great person and knows the game.  He was an excellent teacher of the game.  I think that comes from working for Brian the past several years.  Yes Mike brings a lot to the table and it will be difficult to replace those attributes.  At the same time, many of the qualities Dennison is getting in a head coach were learned by playing for Coach Schaly and working for Coach Brewer. 

Coach Brewer will find a quality young man to step into that role (Dom Winters, asst coach at Muskingum, perhaps).  That person may not be at the same level of ability as Mike was, but he will get there quickly.

Deegan had a lot of excellent qualities before he worked for Brewer. Indeed, that's why Brewer hired him. He was a Way-Weigelt winner as an undergrad. You don't get that for free at MC. I remember when the position came open and I said something to Brewer like "wow lot of good candidates (which there were), must be a tough decision." He suggested that he had a good idea which one he tended toward.

Deegan's a tremendous person and baseball coach and I expect him to lead Denison to the top of the NCAC. I just wish he'd picked a school where he'd be in a different regional from Marietta! :)

Mike's been a part of 4 NCAA championship games in his playing and coaching career -- 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2012. He's been a huge part of the program's success and replacing him will not be easy, though while the people in uniform change the program has always gone on.

But it was time for Mike to get this opportunity, past time really. And he's going to a tremendous school in a great town with a terrific location. Recruiting in Columbus just got a lot tougher for everyone.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on July 14, 2012, 11:57:28 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 13, 2012, 05:18:08 PM
Nice!!  From chicagocubsonline.com: (http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2012/07/cubsminors71212.php#more)

Arizona Rookie League
Ladies and Gentleman, your first place Cubs! Sounds nice, doesn't it, even if it is only the AZL Cubs. Tim Saunders continues to be a one-man wrecking crew for the 12-4 Cubs, as he raised his average to .547 with two home runs and 11 RBI. He even showed off his versatility by lining up in centerfield for a few games.

At this point it's unfortunate that he can't be moved up like the A's did with Bruce Maxwell, but the Cubs have two of their top 20 prospects playing middle infield in Boise, another is playing 3B for Boise, their #3 prospect is a SS in Daytona, their #11 is a 2B in Daytona and their #9 is a SS in AA. That might be why they tried Saunders in CF...trying to find a way to get him a spot at a higher level and because their OF prospects are much weaker, particularly in the lower levels.

Saunders is the leading hitter in the entire Cubs organization right now by more than 100 points.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on July 17, 2012, 02:34:49 PM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on July 14, 2012, 11:57:28 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 13, 2012, 05:18:08 PM
Nice!!  From chicagocubsonline.com: (http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2012/07/cubsminors71212.php#more)

Arizona Rookie League
Ladies and Gentleman, your first place Cubs! Sounds nice, doesn't it, even if it is only the AZL Cubs. Tim Saunders continues to be a one-man wrecking crew for the 12-4 Cubs, as he raised his average to .547 with two home runs and 11 RBI. He even showed off his versatility by lining up in centerfield for a few games.

At this point it's unfortunate that he can't be moved up like the A's did with Bruce Maxwell, but the Cubs have two of their top 20 prospects playing middle infield in Boise, another is playing 3B for Boise, their #3 prospect is a SS in Daytona, their #11 is a 2B in Daytona and their #9 is a SS in AA. That might be why they tried Saunders in CF...trying to find a way to get him a spot at a higher level and because their OF prospects are much weaker, particularly in the lower levels.

Saunders is the leading hitter in the entire Cubs organization right now by more than 100 points.
Glad he is hitting so well, I hope they find a place for him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on July 18, 2012, 07:23:58 AM
According to milb.com, Tim was promoted to the advanced a affiliate in Daytona.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: southernball8 on July 31, 2012, 03:32:17 PM
I am an Piedmont alumni and I played against Saunders, I went and saw him play in Daytona last night and he is still just as smooth. Its great to see how well he is doing. Me and a group of piedmont players got to talk to him after the game and he said he is having a blast.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on August 06, 2012, 03:25:55 PM
Marietta College announces Adam Rosen (former assistant at Capital) will be Deegan's replacement as the top assistant of the Pioneer staff.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: voiceofseason on August 08, 2012, 10:39:59 AM
Saunders is now with the Cubs A affiliate in Peoria, IL (Chiefs).  Watched him get a big hit in the first inning that led to four runs.  Unfortunately, the club is just down - they lost the lead late.  He also made a couple very good plays at shortstop.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on August 22, 2012, 08:28:46 AM
Last night was the MC Alumni Matchup in the Midwest league as Mark Williams ('11) got the start for Wisconsin and faced former teammate Tim Saunders ('12).  Willliams threw 6 innings and allowed one run.  He got a no decision.  Saunders hit a single off Williams and was later erased on a double play.

WOuld have been fun to see that one.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on August 24, 2012, 02:39:53 PM
With school and fall baseball about to start, here is a final wrap up on Summer in the Prospect League.

The D-3 kids really shone on the mound for the Chillicothe Paints.

Chris Thomas of Heidelberg was 7-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 46 innings with 41Ks and 19 BBs, not including 5.1 shutout innings of 1 hit ball in the playoffs vs. WV Miners.
JT Miller of Wabash was 5-3 with an ERA of 4.41 in 51 innings with 55Ks and 16 BBs.
Brandon Sega of Ohio Wesleyan was 1-1 with an ERA of 5.02 in 43 innings with 34Ks and 16BBs.
Keenan White of Wooster was 2-0 with and ERA of 4.55 in 29.2 innings with 21Ks and 11BBs.
Jack Peck of DePauw was 2-1 with an ERA of 3.86 in 35 innings with 27Ks and 9BBs.

Aaron Hopper of Marietta did a good job in the field, hitting .330 with 12HRs and 53RBIs in 51 games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on August 24, 2012, 03:10:50 PM
+1 motorman. It always nice to see these young men do well. I am reposting this on the NCAC board.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on August 27, 2012, 02:49:01 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on August 22, 2012, 08:28:46 AM
Last night was the MC Alumni Matchup in the Midwest league as Mark Williams ('11) got the start for Wisconsin and faced former teammate Tim Saunders ('12).  Willliams threw 6 innings and allowed one run.  He got a no decision.  Saunders hit a single off Williams and was later erased on a double play.

WOuld have been fun to see that one.
Went to a Timber Rattlers game later in the week and Williams made appearances, coaching first base.

They played Cedar Rapids, which features outfielder Gary Mitchell from Neumann. Mitchell was the designated opponent who, if he struck out, giveaways would be launched into the crowd. No giveaways were launched.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on October 07, 2012, 02:15:55 PM
Marietta travels to play a doubleheader at Cortland State today....all for a good cause.  Last season the Red Dragons made the trip to Marietta, and this year the Etta Express is returning the favor.  The top 2 programs in D3 over the last 12 years; very classy on and off the field.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2012/10/6/BB_1006124956.aspx

The results obviously don't mean anything b/c the winner is the United Way, but for those that are curious....they split the doubleheader.  :)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on October 20, 2012, 12:30:37 AM
Time to start the countdown clock to Florida, bought my plane tickets last weekend. Berg starts at the Snowbird Classic on Sunday March 3rd.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on October 20, 2012, 04:30:10 PM
We are driving down for our first Florida trip. The Bishops will be there on March 9th. Good luck next season, except when you play us that is.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on October 21, 2012, 01:27:29 AM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on October 20, 2012, 04:30:10 PM
We are driving down for our first Florida trip. The Bishops will be there on March 9th. Good luck next season, except when you play us that is.
Glad you guys are going to make it this year BLD, you will have a blast. We may play down there again this year, Berg is there until March 12th. We didn't do too well against teams playing their first Florida game last year, losing to Moravian, Denison, and OWU. Don't remember if it was Denison or OWU I overheard the guy doing the game on the internet complain about how early they had to leave that day to catch the plane to fly down. Just wanted to ask if he would have preferred to ride 20+ hours on a bus.

Berg hasn't posted their schedule yet, but it has been finalized except for Florida because we got a copy at banquet about a month ago. So far there haven't been a lot of non OAC teams listed as participating at the SnowBird Baseball Classic.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on October 21, 2012, 09:51:16 PM
Quote from: motorman on October 21, 2012, 01:27:29 AM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on October 20, 2012, 04:30:10 PM
We are driving down for our first Florida trip. The Bishops will be there on March 9th. Good luck next season, except when you play us that is.
Glad you guys are going to make it this year BLD, you will have a blast. We may play down there again this year, Berg is there until March 12th. We didn't do too well against teams playing their first Florida game last year, losing to Moravian, Denison, and OWU. Don't remember if it was Denison or OWU I overheard the guy doing the game on the internet complain about how early they had to leave that day to catch the plane to fly down. Just wanted to ask if he would have preferred to ride 20+ hours on a bus.

Berg hasn't posted their schedule yet, but it has been finalized except for Florida because we got a copy at banquet about a month ago. So far there haven't been a lot of non OAC teams listed as participating at the SnowBird Baseball Classic.
Had to be Denison, OWU always buses it. I count 5 OAC teams. Well if we do not play in Florida we will play in the spring, 04-24, at Littick. OWU is down there from the 9 - 16. There is some overlap so we may play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 31, 2012, 08:28:55 AM
It's Halloween and we have news that will affect the 2013 OAC tourney already.  BW self reported to the NCAA and banned themselves from postseason play in all sports this year, including the OAC tournaments.  So despite having a good shot at finishing in the top 4 BW will not play in the OAC tourney. 

BW Postseason Ban (http://www.d3sports.com/notables/2012/10/baldwin-wallace-postseason-ban)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on October 31, 2012, 02:17:47 PM
Son was recruited by BW. Depending on any additional penalties they get. I am really happy this was not his choice.

I wonder how much this will have an effect on the NCAA penalties handed out:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/andy_staples/10/30/ncaa-violations-enforcement-rules/
I know that this article is about D1 but wouldn't apply to D3 as well?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 31, 2012, 02:39:20 PM
Unless these infractions at BW are on a large scale and/or intentional in nature I'd be surprised if there's much of an additional penalty.  My guess is it was whoever was in charge of compliance just made a mistake in interpreting something.  Heck, I'd be curious who is even in charge of NCAA compliance.  I'm 99% sure they don't have a dedicated compliance person.  It's probably a coach doing it on a part-time basis.  The school realized it, self reported and banned themselves.  The NCAA probably wishes there was more self-policing like that. 

All that being said, I didn't read Pat's link about the other D3 incidents so for all I know all those schools got hammered by the NCAA and everything I just said was dumb.  Haha.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 01, 2012, 11:50:10 AM
Not sure anybody can answer this, but I will ask anyway. In this situation what happens with the financial packages these students received? Will they be adjusted to better match the school population? Will they stay the same because the school is is punishing itself by removing its eligibility for the post season?

Do you think this may be another case of Leadership Scholly's or grants?

Thanks all
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 16, 2012, 12:02:01 PM
Marietta has there 2013 Roster up.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/roster.aspx?path=baseball

Must have finished up the fall baseball league they participate in with the High Schools and made their decisions.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on November 27, 2012, 11:21:02 AM
I had time to do this today so here are the returning All-OAC players.  Players marked with an asterisk were All-OAC 2 yrs ago, but not in 2012.

Baldwin Wallace
1st Team:  Ferster (So, DH), Havens (Sr, P)
2nd Team:  Chontos (So, 1B), Yost (Sr, 2B), Toughey (Sr, OF)
*Neuschaefer, Sr, OF (2011 HM)

Capital
2nd Team:  Jackson (Sr, OF)
*Thuman, Sr, IF/P (2011 2nd Team)

Heidelberg
2nd Team:  Minteer (So, P)
HM:  Martin (Sr, C), E. Monroe (So, 1B)
*Holt, Sr, P (2011 2nd Team)

John Carroll
1st Team:  Herringshaw (Jr, 3B)
2nd Team:  Spagna (Jr, P/1B)

Marietta
1st Team:  Brockmeier (Sr, 1B), Hopper (Sr, OF)
2nd Team:  Toth (Sr, C), Grilliot (Sr, OF)
HM:  Gergorich (Sr, 3B), Mulvey (Sr, P)

Mount Union
1st Team:  Mathis (Jr, OF), Carlino (Jr, P/3B), Murzynski (Jr, P)
HM:  Grosscup (Jr, SS), Olasz (Jr, OF)
*Dobran, Jr, OF (2011 HM)

Muskingum
HM:  Garrett (Sr, OF), M. Free (Sr, P)

Ohio Northern
HM:  Kisor (Sr, 2B)

Otterbein
1st Team:  Meadows (Sr, C)
2nd Team:  Linder (Jr, OF)
HM:  Harkenrider (So, 1B), Cydrus (Sr, P)
*Moomaw, Jr, OF (2011 HM), Frey, Sr, P (2011 HM)

Wilmington
HM:  Justus (Sr, P/OF)


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 27, 2012, 06:20:47 PM
Good info Dr. thanks for the research. Baseball season cannot get here soon enough. +1

OWU is scheduled to play 6 OAC teams this year.

Cap
Ott
Musk
onu
JCU
Hiede

Plus any teams we meet in the Snow Bird Classic.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on November 27, 2012, 08:45:29 PM
They should do well against that slate.  I don't think Cap, Ott, ONU or Musky are going to be great.  JCU is solid especially if Spagna pitches.  Berg will have really good pitching.  If Holt and O'Driscoll are 100% they have the deepest staff in the conference on paper.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 28, 2012, 04:46:21 PM
Where do you see Mount fitting in the conference this year? As always I am sure Marietta will be number 1.

Marietta will be in Florida at the same time we are and Mott has some connections back to Marietta. (He was pitching coach there while getting his advanced degree.) I hope we get a chance to face them while we are down there.

Where does Mount go in the spring.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on November 28, 2012, 10:04:59 PM
Theoretically Mount should be a lock for the OAC tourney and probably a top 3 finish at worst.  They finished 2nd in the regular season and 3rd in the conference tourney playing all sophomores and freshmen last year except their #3 (or 4?) starter who was a senior.  They split with Etta down there last year so there shouldn't be any intimidation factor.  They return their best two starters who were both 1st team All-OAC as sophomores as well as OF Connor Mathis who was an All-American as a sophomore.  He hit .450 and drove in 56 runs in 40 games so he'll anchor the lineup from the 3 hole again.

They've gone to the Russ Matt in Winer Haven the last couple years.  The competition has been okay, but they did at least play Thomas More last year who is good.

I think Etta is the favorite until proven otherwise.  Berg will be back this year due to pitching.  Not sure about their hitting as it wasn't great last year and they lost Lizcano and Pruitt. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 28, 2012, 10:35:50 PM
Good to hear. How do you think BW will do? I know they cannot play in the tournament, but will they take another step this year? Harrison seemed to do good things with them last year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on November 29, 2012, 12:04:37 PM
BW will be good.  They went 27-13 last year and they return all their key pieces except their SS Longhitano (sp?) who was a nice player.  The biggest key is they have Havens back.  He's a legit #1 guy.  They have at least 4 proven all-conference bats and a couple other fringe guys who were very solid and may develop.  And Harrison probably brought in reinforcements.

I like Harrison a lot.  I've spoken to him a couple times and he's just one of those guys who gets it.  He's got personality and he strikes me as kind of an old school baseball guy.  I think that goes a long way.  Kids want to connect with their coach I think and he's a guy kids will want to come play for.  And BW is in a good location and he's said as much (that he's going to recruit the heck out of the Cleveland/NE Ohio area).  It's easier to convince a kid to come to suburban Cleveland than New Concord.  He's a good recruiter and they'll be good as long as he's there IMO.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on November 29, 2012, 12:25:49 PM
As an aside, it'll also be interesting to see how Harrison handles things strategically this year.  Is he going to err on the side of younger guys over seniors in an effort to get them playing time looking towards 2014 when they're tournament eligible again?  By no means do I think he'd do it haphazardly and play kids who are worse just because they're younger.  He wants to win now too.  But he played a lot of younger guys last year so my guess is if the seniors and the youngsters are even he's going younger.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 29, 2012, 05:28:14 PM
I agree completely. Like you said all else being equal I think the youngster gets the start. But he has to continue to win to get recruits.

I have had several talks with Harrison when he was recruiting my son and yes he is very good. He made my son feel very wanted. The school was not the right fit though. And for him, Harrison said he could see him pitching right away and that he could see him being an impact player. My son appreciated the words but wanted to go somewhere were he was forced to compete and be pushed by the other players. He was not sure he would get that his first year at BW. That and the school fit made him go in another direction.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on December 02, 2012, 03:08:33 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on November 28, 2012, 04:46:21 PMAs always I am sure Marietta will be number 1.

While Marietta may be considered the favorite until they start playing on the field, there should be no doubt they are less of a team this year. When you graduate 5 of your top 7 pitchers from a team whose overwhelming strength was pitching plus your Conference Player of the Year from your offense it would be a miracle if your team was as strong as last year.

It is comparable to Berg losing all the seniors they did the year before and still being ranked in the top 10. It was totally illogical. Mount and Heidelberg should be very, very competitive with Marietta this year and I would not be a bit surprised if either or both finish ahead of them in the final standings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 05, 2012, 12:32:41 PM
It's going to depend largely on what kind of talent they have in the fresh/soph classes.  They need some younger guys to step in.  They've got holes to fill.  With Hopper and Brockmeier anchoring the lineup I think they'll be okay offensively.  It's the pitching that's going to be dropping off.  That's not a knock, but rather a fact of life when you graduate multiple All-Americans at once.  You're not going to be the same team when the core of a back-to-back NC team graduates.

I'll be interested to see how Berg shakes out offensively.  That and health are the biggest questions.  Mount had a nice season with a bunch of young kids.  They have a few guys in the lineup I'd like to see some strides from as well.  They need to take the next step and win 30 games this year.  Plain and simple.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on December 10, 2012, 01:06:53 PM
Pitching for the Pio's is a big question mark.  Mulvey was strong at times, and then had some struggles other times.  Langdon was a key reliever, but it will interesting to see if he can be one of the starters and work a lot of innings.  While it led to a lot of success the past two years, having the depth of pitching on staff limited the game time opportunities for the younger guys. 

Bascom, Gammel, Knittel, and Koehler (who looke as good as any I saw of the youngsters) will have to fill the voids.  These guys combined to throw a total of 13 innings, no starts and only 9 apperances over the course of the season.

Mulvey - 6-0, 2.18 ERA, 66 IP, OBA .237
Langdon - 1-1, 1.42 ERA, 31.2 IP, OBA .224
Brockmeier - 0-0, 5.51 ERA, 16.1 IP, OBA .305

Those are the top three returners from last years team on the mound.  Hardly a murderer's row of pitching. 

The Pioneers are definately in "rebuild/reload" mode this season after graduation losses from a year ago. 

Here is my prediction for the tourney qualifiers....

1.  Heidelberg - Coach Palm is a terrific coach, and I think he has the best pitching staff returning for 2013.  They seemed to shore up their defense last season when they inserted a freshman at Shortstop.  They will be in the upper tier offensively as well. 
2.  Marietta -  I think one of the things overlooked in 2013 is the loss of Coach Deegan to Dension.  I think he was a key component to the offensive and defensive success the past several years.  His ability to scout and prepare the guys will be missed.  However, there are plenty of young guys who can play.  And a very tough schedule will prepare them for the rigors of OAC play.
3.  Mount Union - They have a solid core.  Can they develop the pitching depth?  I was impressed with them when they came to Marietta during the regular season.  They struggled in the tournament thogh. 
4.  Just about anyone else.

BW not beingeligible for post season play due to NCAA violations opens up that fourth spot.  They will be a factor in the race to get there, though.  They swung the bats very well for most of last year, until they played tougher competition.  Their pitching, after Havens, was not the best.

The rest of the conference is/was pretty unimpressive and with BW out, anyone could take that last spot.  In fact I could see any of those top three hosting the tournament this year. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 10, 2012, 02:19:40 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on December 10, 2012, 01:06:53 PM
4.  Just about anyone else.

BW not beingeligible for post season play due to NCAA violations opens up that fourth spot. 

And you know what that means...JCU stumbles into that spot at .500 probably!  I kid, I kid (kinda).  But in all honesty if I was betting money my preseason top 4 would be the same....Berg, then Etta, then Mount, then BW.  I'd have to put JCU next because on paper Ott doesn't look like they're going to be good again this year.  Their pitching is suspect.  After that who knows.  I can NEVER get a gauge on Musky.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on December 11, 2012, 03:05:21 PM
Looking at Marietta's Schedule: it is extremely difficult.

OWU, Wooster (Regional participant), Denison (twice), Montclair State, W&J (Regional Participant), Wheaton (National Runner up 2012), Webster (CWS Participant), Wheaton Ill, Huntingdon, Anderson, DePauw (Regional Participant), Frostburg State, Kenyon, and CWRU. 

Having been a loyal follower of the Pioneers for going on 20 years, this is schedule is as difficult as it has ever been.  I give a lot of credit to Coach Brewer who, since becoming the head coach, has strengthened the schedule year after year.  This is a solid slate of games, and the record may not be as "pretty" as it was in the past couple of years.  However, come May, this will be a battle tested team. 

'Berg's non conference is solid...

Denison, Moravian, Bluffton, Salem, Montclair State, Manchester (regional Runner up), Adrian (regional Participant), CWRU,  LaRoche (Regional participant), OWU, and Wittenberg. 

You build a stronger team when playing stronger competition.  Both Marietta and 'Berg do this regularly, and Matt Palm should also be commended for playing a strong slate.

Mount Union: 
2013 Schedule is not posted.

BW: 
Wabash, Mt. St. joseph, OWU, Dension,Wheaton ILL, Pitt-Bradford, Dayton (D-I), LaRoche (Regional particpant), Oberlin, Hiram. 

Other than Dayton and LaRoche, this is not particularly impressive.  They built a strong record last year against fairly weak competition.  Then they struggled when it came time to face the better teams. They faded at the end of the season and failed to make the OAC tourney.




Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 12, 2012, 11:43:52 AM
Mount will probably do their Western PA thing and play Gheny/Thiel/Westminster/W&J.  They usually play Hiram too because they're pretty close.  I think they've removed Walsh.  That's too bad because they were a key "fill-in" team being close by.  Couple games get rained out and it's sunny a day you have no game later in the week?  Call Walsh and play them that day.  Maybe being DII now Walsh doesn't have the same flexibility as in the past though. 

Last year in FL they played TMC and then some ok to bad teams.  My assumption is that since they're going to the Russ Matt in FL again they'll probably have a similar slate. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on December 13, 2012, 11:15:21 PM
EttaFan,

The player Heidelberg put at SS when they moved Lizcano back to the outfield was SO Andrew Zenczak. They already had 2 Freshmen playing in the infield, 3B Steve Kisan and 1B Eric Monroe. Also, when you listed the Berg non conference opponents, you left off regional particapant Wooster.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 27, 2012, 12:40:10 PM
Looks like Mount's FL schedule is as follows (2012 record):

Greensboro (22-14) x2
Franklin & Marshall (17-23) x2
Curry (18-24)
Transy (21-19)
Washington College (28-12)
Albion (19-23) x2
Hope (24-20) x2

Not exactly a murderer's row there.  Nothing that I'd dub a big time measuring stick game.  WC had the best record and did at least beat Johns Hopkins so I'll assume they're pretty solid.  The rest?  Not sure.  A lot of what appears to be pretty mediocre teams.  To me, just on paper, the cut off is 7-4.  8-3 or better?  Good job.  7-4?  Ehh.  6-5 or worse?  Not good at all, especially if you're shooting for 30 wins.  This is a schedule set up to win games without looking like you're playing a bunch of cupcakes.  They need to do that and win 8+ games.

p.s. The danger with a schedule like this is that you usually don't play .500 baseball without having at least some talent (especially hitting).  And that means that if Mount doesn't get a good start from somebody any of these teams can beat them. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on December 29, 2012, 12:28:24 AM
Dr. A,

One thing that jumped out at me last year about Mount's schedule is that every game in FL was only 7 innings. Virtually the only 9 inning games they played all year were the 2nd games of conference DHs. I think that showed in the OAC tournament. Berg was the total opposite. The only 7 inning games they played all year were the 1st games of conference DHs. Even when playing twice in one day in FL or playing a DH at Manchester, they played two 9 inning games. Although it was a strain early in the season when not all the pitching was healthy, it got some of the young guys innings they wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I really admired Coach Palm's desire to play as much baseball as possible.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 02, 2013, 04:52:07 PM
Motorman - Interesting point. Very interesting

I can remember a few years ago when the OAC went to two seven inning games instead of the 7/9 DH, Coach Schaly was not happy.  His logic: over the course of a season, it takes away 18 innings of baseball (9 games x 2 innings).  That is two full games of baseball over a league season!  thankfully, the OAC returned to the 7/9 format.

I would even like to see three or four game series on the weekends to "encourage" teams to develop deeper pitching.  Everyone's got a #1 guy, most teams have a pretty good #2, where the rubber meets the road is in that third(fourth, etc) game in as many days, when 1 and 2 are resting.  (see St. John Fisher last year....Two studs, nobody else in the rotation....They went home.  It wasn't for lack of offense either!)   

'Berg and Marietta share a common thread, they are building their teams for the ultimate prize each year.     

1.  Play the toughest schedule you can focusing on in region games (since that is a primary criteria for making the post season).
2.  Play as much baseball as you can....All 40, as many 9 inning games as possible, Etc. 

Dr. A, with that schedule, I would say they need to be 8-3 or better to consider it successful.  With the core they have returning, they should!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on January 02, 2013, 09:06:05 PM
This year UW-Whitewater will play its entire WIAC schedule in less than one month (April 3-28). That's 24 nines (yes, all nines), with travel, in the span of 26 days.

http://www.uwwsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball& (http://www.uwwsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball&)

The WIAC doesn't always send a team to Appleton, but I'm unaware of another D-III league that typically plays six nines a week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 03, 2013, 11:30:58 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 02, 2013, 04:52:07 PM
Motorman - Interesting point. Very interesting

I can remember a few years ago when the OAC went to two seven inning games instead of the 7/9 DH, Coach Schaly was not happy.  His logic: over the course of a season, it takes away 18 innings of baseball (9 games x 2 innings).  That is two full games of baseball over a league season!  thankfully, the OAC returned to the 7/9 format.

I would even like to see three or four game series on the weekends to "encourage" teams to develop deeper pitching.  Everyone's got a #1 guy, most teams have a pretty good #2, where the rubber meets the road is in that third(fourth, etc) game in as many days, when 1 and 2 are resting.  (see St. John Fisher last year....Two studs, nobody else in the rotation....They went home.  It wasn't for lack of offense either!)   

'Berg and Marietta share a common thread, they are building their teams for the ultimate prize each year.     

1.  Play the toughest schedule you can focusing on in region games (since that is a primary criteria for making the post season).
2.  Play as much baseball as you can....All 40, as many 9 inning games as possible, Etc. 

Dr. A, with that schedule, I would say they need to be 8-3 or better to consider it successful.  With the core they have returning, they should!

The other thing that Berg does (and I can't remember about Etta) is keep the roster size down.  So not only are they playing more innings they're also getting more reps in practice everyday.  Of course this is also DIII so I'm sure there are external influences "encouraging" a lot of the other programs to have bigger rosters (i.e. more tuition) but from a purely baseball standpoint I think that's also an advantage.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 03, 2013, 11:36:59 AM
Quote from: Ricky Nelson on January 02, 2013, 09:06:05 PM
This year UW-Whitewater will play its entire WIAC schedule in less than one month (April 3-28). That's 24 nines (yes, all nines), with travel, in the span of 26 days.

http://www.uwwsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball& (http://www.uwwsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball&)

The WIAC doesn't always send a team to Appleton, but I'm unaware of another D-III league that typically plays six nines a week.

That's unbelievable.  They play a 4 game conference series every weekend and also a conference DH every Wednesday.  That's a MLB work load for your pitching staff!     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 03, 2013, 11:44:30 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 02, 2013, 04:52:07 PM
I would even like to see three or four game series on the weekends to "encourage" teams to develop deeper pitching.  Everyone's got a #1 guy, most teams have a pretty good #2, where the rubber meets the road is in that third(fourth, etc) game in as many days, when 1 and 2 are resting.  (see St. John Fisher last year....Two studs, nobody else in the rotation....They went home.  It wasn't for lack of offense either!)   

I'd like to see them go to a single game on Friday and then a DH on Saturday.  That still leaves Sundays open for rain outs or OOC games.  The obvious issue is travel costs.  I'm not sure there would be the willingness to incur the additional cost to add that 3rd game to each OAC matchup.  The other issue is that currently we have mid-week OAC DH's.  How would those be handled to add the 3rd game?  It looks like the WIAC just makes you go twice.  They play 4 games on the weekend and you play the same team in a Wed DH back-to-back weeks (so you play everyone 4 times).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: 108 Stitches on January 03, 2013, 02:18:04 PM
I had no idea Northern teams had this type of workload. WOW. Most teams D1-DIII have a 3 game weekend series with a OOC game mid week. These kids are also in academically demanding institutions and how they are able to pull it off is pretty impressive. I guess with the shortened schedule due to weather the choice is fewer games or a more compressed schedule.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 03, 2013, 03:22:44 PM
In the NCAC conference games are 7/9 DH's Saturday and Sunday with OOC games during the week. OWU usually plays a single 7 or 9 inning game Tues, Weds or Thurs and then the DH's Saturday and Sunday. Need to have enough pitching to get you through the weekend to compete in the conference.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on January 03, 2013, 03:38:30 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 03, 2013, 11:36:59 AM
Quote from: Ricky Nelson on January 02, 2013, 09:06:05 PM
This year UW-Whitewater will play its entire WIAC schedule in less than one month (April 3-28). That's 24 nines (yes, all nines), with travel, in the span of 26 days.

http://www.uwwsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball& (http://www.uwwsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball&)

The WIAC doesn't always send a team to Appleton, but I'm unaware of another D-III league that typically plays six nines a week.

That's unbelievable.  They play a 4 game conference series every weekend and also a conference DH every Wednesday.  That's a MLB work load for your pitching staff!     
I used UWW's schedule because it's slightly more compact than some others this year, but all other WIAC teams play their 24 nines in a short window every year. Then toss in a spring trip and noncon DH's against St. Thomas, St. Scholastica, Illinois Wesleyan, etc., and you have yourself a schedule.

http://athletics.uwsp.edu/schedule.aspx?path=baseball (http://athletics.uwsp.edu/schedule.aspx?path=baseball)
http://www.uwoshkoshtitans.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/schedule (http://www.uwoshkoshtitans.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/schedule)
http://www.uwlathletics.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball (http://www.uwlathletics.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball)

UWW used nine starting pitchers last season (and went 33-17). Most other WIAC teams approach that number. The top WIAC pitchers don't usually have the numbers of First-Team All-Americans because they don't have a chance to. If you're a WIAC pitcher with a uniform, your number will be called eventually.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BBFan62 on January 03, 2013, 06:16:25 PM
Quote from: 108 Stitches on January 03, 2013, 02:18:04 PM
I had no idea Northern teams had this type of workload. WOW. Most teams D1-DIII have a 3 game weekend series with a OOC game mid week. These kids are also in academically demanding institutions and how they are able to pull it off is pretty impressive. I guess with the shortened schedule due to weather the choice is fewer games or a more compressed schedule.

The Liberty League (Upstate NY) plays 7/9 conference DH's each weekend and most of the teams have a Tuesday & Wednesday 9 inning game. Sometimes it'll be Tuesday/Thursday. That's why I mentioned in a different post that many of the Northern or Eastern pitchers get somewhat overlooked when it comes to post season recognition because, with that schedule it is rare for a guy to get more than 10 starts.
UR normally opens the season with the 8 game UAA tournament in Florida, then begins conference play near the end of March. Several games have been cold/rained/or snowed out the last couple of years. So, with 2 tournament starts in Florida and 7 conference weekends, our guys usually will get 9 starts. This year a couple of the guys might get 10, if all games are played.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on January 03, 2013, 10:23:18 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 03, 2013, 11:44:30 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 02, 2013, 04:52:07 PM
I would even like to see three or four game series on the weekends to "encourage" teams to develop deeper pitching.  Everyone's got a #1 guy, most teams have a pretty good #2, where the rubber meets the road is in that third(fourth, etc) game in as many days, when 1 and 2 are resting.  (see St. John Fisher last year....Two studs, nobody else in the rotation....They went home.  It wasn't for lack of offense either!)   

I'd like to see them go to a single game on Friday and then a DH on Saturday.  That still leaves Sundays open for rain outs or OOC games.  The obvious issue is travel costs.  I'm not sure there would be the willingness to incur the additional cost to add that 3rd game to each OAC matchup.  The other issue is that currently we have mid-week OAC DH's.  How would those be handled to add the 3rd game?  It looks like the WIAC just makes you go twice.  They play 4 games on the weekend and you play the same team in a Wed DH back-to-back weeks (so you play everyone 4 times).

The other problem is adding a 3rd game vs each team in a 10 team league makes 27 league games instead of 18. Add a 10 game Florida trip and that only leaves 3 games for non conference games in a 40 game season. It wouldn't be as much of a problem in a smaller league, but smaller leagues like the MIAA already play 4 games against each conference opponent, home and home DHs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 04, 2013, 04:54:45 PM
Or just convince the NCAA to go back to the 1980's and let teams play 60 games per year. ::)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 06, 2013, 01:35:40 PM
From the too much time on my hands file...I was looking at coaching records. Obviously Brewer and Palm are the class of the conference.  There's a healthy rivalry between the programs. But thanks to coaching at JCU first Brewer has exactly 13 seasons in the OAC as well, same as Palm, there's a coaching race too.  Palm leads the head to head in overall wins (408 to 405), but Brewer leads in OAC wins (168 to 164).  Thought it was cool that after so many years they're so close still.

Also read that there are only 10 coaches with 300+ wins in OAC history. Five are currently coaching. The two above along with Thompson (338), Powell (324) and Hesse (312). 

On a side note, averaging 21 wins a year in New Concord is an accomplishment. Can you imagine recruiting kids to come there?  Thompson is underrated in my book.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 07, 2013, 12:03:00 PM
Interesting comparison.  I had no idea it was that close.   Sometimes I forget that Coach Brewer was the head man at JCU.  He was 79-85 while coaching the Streaks.  He is 326-111-1 at Marietta, a win percentage of .745! (He was also just named ABCA coach of the year in DIII again this year.) 

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2013/1/5/BB_0105133003.aspx?path=baseball (http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2013/1/5/BB_0105133003.aspx?path=baseball)

Workouts begin in two weeks, season starts in early March with a trip to Xenia
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 15, 2013, 10:41:52 AM
Don't know if it has been officially announced yet, but the mid-east regional will not be in Marietta this year   >:(  (This bums me out because It was a great mini vacation watching all of those games the past few years). 

I have heard that it will be in Terre Haute, Indiana at Rose Hulman.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 15, 2013, 12:33:01 PM
Bummer!
Did they just beat Marrietta out or did Marrietta not put a bid in. (can't imagine that they would not but you never know.)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on January 15, 2013, 02:41:30 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 15, 2013, 10:41:52 AM
Don't know if it has been officially announced yet, but the mid-east regional will not be in Marietta this year   >:(  (This bums me out because It was a great mini vacation watching all of those games the past few years). 

I have heard that it will be in Terre Haute, Indiana at Rose Hulman.
I'm sure many Mideast fans know, but RHIT hosted a few baseball regionals in the aughts. Never been, but the baseball facility looks nice in photos.

Neither here nor there, but I was told RHIT did a great job hosting the 2012 cross country nationals.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 15, 2013, 05:35:23 PM
Quote from: Ricky Nelson on January 15, 2013, 02:41:30 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 15, 2013, 10:41:52 AM
Don't know if it has been officially announced yet, but the mid-east regional will not be in Marietta this year   >:(  (This bums me out because It was a great mini vacation watching all of those games the past few years). 

I have heard that it will be in Terre Haute, Indiana at Rose Hulman.
I'm sure many Mideast fans know, but RHIT hosted a few baseball regionals in the aughts. Never been, but the baseball facility looks nice in photos.

Neither here nor there, but I was told RHIT did a great job hosting the 2012 cross country nationals.

Yeah, it hasn't been that long ago either.  Maybe 4 or 5 yrs ago they hosted?  And they hosted more than once.  Etta has the best facilities (especially lights), but I have no problem with them rotating for the sake of fairness.  I think most Etta fans would gladly trade off hosting the last couple for not hosting this season given the teams they had/have.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 15, 2013, 05:38:05 PM
Skimmed over Mount's roster of returning players.  No seniors.  Not a one.  22 juniors and 13 sophomores.  The juniors carried the load last year and will again this year and next, but I'm still excited to see what the freshmen can add to the mix.  There are a couple spots that I think freshmen could win the job if they're good.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 16, 2013, 08:27:33 AM
Congratulations to the OAC guys on the d3baseball.com preseason AA teams.

2nd team:  Wes Meadows (Ott), Connor Mathis (Mount)
HM:  Aaron Hopper (Etta)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 24, 2013, 06:35:38 PM
Tip of the cap to Bishopleftiesdad for spotting the d3baseball.com preseason top 25 today. 

Etta received the most 1st place votes (14) but checked in at #3.  The only other squad receiving votes was Mount and they sit 6 spots deep in the ORV.

I'm kind of surprised Berg didn't receive any votes at all.  I know they didn't have a great year last year, but I thought with what they had coming back combined with the reputation of the program they'd garner a few votes.  Oh well, preseason polls are tough.  I'd hate to vote in it.  It's so hard to examine that many teams so you'd just end up reshuffling last year's final poll to reflect graduation losses for the most part. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 25, 2013, 11:16:47 AM
Entirely too optimistic for MC and too pessimistic for Mount and 'Berg, IMO. 

I'm entirely too anxious for the season to start.  Marietta has already lost one of the young pitchers for an unknown reason (he was on the roster in December and isn't now, and I overheard someone talking at a basketball game a bout someone leaving for the team but didn't hear the reason.  Stuff happens, I guess, but the person in question in very limited varsity innings looked pretty good).  Pitching depth has to be a significant concern.  Coach Castle will earn his stripes as the pitching coach this year. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 25, 2013, 11:24:37 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 24, 2013, 06:35:38 PM
Tip of the cap to Bishopleftiesdad for spotting the d3baseball.com preseason top 25 today. 

Etta received the most 1st place votes (14) but checked in at #3.  The only other squad receiving votes was Mount and they sit 6 spots deep in the ORV.

I'm kind of surprised Berg didn't receive any votes at all.  I know they didn't have a great year last year, but I thought with what they had coming back combined with the reputation of the program they'd garner a few votes.  Oh well, preseason polls are tough.  I'd hate to vote in it.  It's so hard to examine that many teams so you'd just end up reshuffling last year's final poll to reflect graduation losses for the most part.


Thanks Dr.
I would not want to vote on it either. A lot of teams do have this years rosters up yet. I have to imagine it would be hard to determine who is coming back. It imagine it would take a lot of work. This seems more accurate the the other preseason poll in my view though.

This is not a Slam against Kenyon, they did have a very nice year, but they did not play many tough teams but Wooster last year. The other poll had them in the also receiving votes. There record was good but they were beat pretty well in the tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 25, 2013, 11:27:37 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 25, 2013, 11:16:47 AM
Entirely too optimistic for MC and too pessimistic for Mount and 'Berg, IMO. 

I'm entirely too anxious for the season to start.  Marietta has already lost one of the young pitchers for an unknown reason (he was on the roster in December and isn't now, and I overheard someone talking at a basketball game a bout someone leaving for the team but didn't hear the reason.  Stuff happens, I guess, but the person in question in very limited varsity innings looked pretty good).  Pitching depth has to be a significant concern.  Coach Castle will earn his stripes as the pitching coach this year.

I knew Brewer and Deegan saw this coming a year or two ago. My son is a pitcher (I know, pretty obvious.) and they pursued him pretty hard.  I am sure they have some kids that will step up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on January 25, 2013, 06:31:45 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on January 25, 2013, 11:24:37 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 24, 2013, 06:35:38 PM
Tip of the cap to Bishopleftiesdad for spotting the d3baseball.com preseason top 25 today. 

Etta received the most 1st place votes (14) but checked in at #3.  The only other squad receiving votes was Mount and they sit 6 spots deep in the ORV.

I'm kind of surprised Berg didn't receive any votes at all.  I know they didn't have a great year last year, but I thought with what they had coming back combined with the reputation of the program they'd garner a few votes.  Oh well, preseason polls are tough.  I'd hate to vote in it.  It's so hard to examine that many teams so you'd just end up reshuffling last year's final poll to reflect graduation losses for the most part.


Thanks Dr.
I would not want to vote on it either. A lot of teams do have this years rosters up yet. I have to imagine it would be hard to determine who is coming back. It imagine it would take a lot of work. This seems more accurate the the other preseason poll in my view though.

This is not a Slam against Kenyon, they did have a very nice year, but they did not play many tough teams but Wooster last year. The other poll had them in the also receiving votes. There record was good but they were beat pretty well in the tournament.
Jim Dixon sends questionnaires and teams return them. Voters and preview writers have a lot of info thanks to Jim's legwork. I asked Jim for a specific set of team questionnaires. The request resulted in 76 emails that sated my inner nerd.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 04, 2013, 12:14:59 PM
I was snooping around to see who, if anyone, has their rosters up with freshmen included.  I sadly found that Mark Zimmerman from Green HS (Akron) went to BW.  Their games are always in the Canton and Akron papers so I see them all the time and I was hoping Mount would snag him.  He was a very good P/SS for a strong DI HS program.  He was their ace and went 6-1, 1.11 ERA, 57 K, 44.1 IP and also hit .388 w/ 23 RBI.  Coach Wallace's kids tend to do pretty well in college ball because he's a good one so that looks like a nice get for the Jackets.  And especially so since he was being recruited by Malone and Walsh (both DII). 

I guess the Raiders just need to convince his former teammate Evan Keeslar who was one of the area's best hitters last year to come out and at least DH for them.  He's a freshman on the hoops team currently so just steer him down the hall to the batting cage once in a while! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 04, 2013, 12:49:49 PM
Also noticed that Jay Yost, who was 2nd team All-OAC, was listed as "injured" with no jersey number for BW. 

For Berg I didn't see Steve Kisan who started at 3B (I think) as a freshman last year listed on the roster this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 04, 2013, 12:58:01 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 04, 2013, 12:14:59 PM
I was snooping around to see who, if anyone, has their rosters up with freshmen included.  I sadly found that Mark Zimmerman from Green HS (Akron) went to BW.  Their games are always in the Canton and Akron papers so I see them all the time and I was hoping Mount would snag him.  He was a very good P/SS for a strong DI HS program.  He was their ace and went 6-1, 1.11 ERA, 57 K, 44.1 IP and also hit .388 w/ 23 RBI.  Coach Wallace's kids tend to do pretty well in college ball because he's a good one so that looks like a nice get for the Jackets.  And especially so since he was being recruited by Malone and Walsh (both DII). 

I guess the Raiders just need to convince his former teammate Evan Keeslar who was one of the area's best hitters last year to come out and at least DH for them.  He's a freshman on the hoops team currently so just steer him down the hall to the batting cage once in a while!

Coach Harrison is a great recruiter. He does everything right and last years record shows how quickly he is turning around this program. I am not surprised to see top talent from Nothern Ohio matriculating at BW.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 05, 2013, 11:33:46 AM
We're getting close!  Ott opens the season in under 2 weeks on 2/18 against Ohio Christian in Chillicothe.  Cap, JCU (2/22) and BW (2/23) follow shortly after.  Cap has that early spring trip so they'll actually have 6 games in by the end of February and wrap up in FL by 3/2.  The Raiders don't open until 3/10 in FL so all my opening games excitement is going to be spent elsewhere.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 05, 2013, 12:52:00 PM
OWU opened on 2/25 last year in Chillicothe.
You want to talk about one cold game. Wind chill was 18 Wind blowing in with heavy snow squalls. But i did get to see my son pick up his first save of his college career.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 07, 2013, 05:35:38 PM
I just looked at Mount's JV schedule.  They play Walsh and Thiel 6 times each.  Good lord.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 08, 2013, 11:42:09 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 07, 2013, 05:35:38 PM
I just looked at Mount's JV schedule.  They play Walsh and Thiel 6 times each.  Good lord.

Doesn't Heidelberg have a JV? I am surprised they do not play them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 08, 2013, 12:26:45 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on February 08, 2013, 11:42:09 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 07, 2013, 05:35:38 PM
I just looked at Mount's JV schedule.  They play Walsh and Thiel 6 times each.  Good lord.

Doesn't Heidelberg have a JV? I am surprised they do not play them.

I don't think they ever play any other OAC schools JV teams.  It's usually a lot of Walsh and then whoever else they can find.  It's a good 2.5 hr drive to Berg so places like Thiel and NDC are more feasible for JV games just by being an hr + closer.  If Hiram and Westminster have JV teams they'd be good options too since they're both around an hr away.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 08, 2013, 09:28:14 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 08, 2013, 12:26:45 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on February 08, 2013, 11:42:09 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 07, 2013, 05:35:38 PM
I just looked at Mount's JV schedule.  They play Walsh and Thiel 6 times each.  Good lord.

Doesn't Heidelberg have a JV? I am surprised they do not play them.

I don't think they ever play any other OAC schools JV teams.  It's usually a lot of Walsh and then whoever else they can find.  It's a good 2.5 hr drive to Berg so places like Thiel and NDC are more feasible for JV games just by being an hr + closer.  If Hiram and Westminster have JV teams they'd be good options too since they're both around an hr away.

Right again Dr, JV games are mostly about getting people innings, they aren't real concerned with who they play. Geographic proximity and low travel cost are most important. On occasion, Berg JV has played Marietta JV in Florida. Berg plays a lot of JV games vs Tiffin and Owens Community College out of Toledo. Just looked at schedule and Berg plays Adrian, Ohio Wesleyan, Ohio Northern, and Denison in Florida this year. Looks like Owens has been replaced by Lourdes College this year on JV schedule.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 10, 2013, 02:07:26 PM
OWU has always had JV team but usually only plays games in Florida and a few others during the year. With the size of the roster and the number of recruits this year there should be more games.

I am glad to see OWU jv is palying Heidelberg. I will be sure to make to that game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 11, 2013, 12:25:37 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on February 10, 2013, 02:07:26 PM
OWU has always had JV team but usually only plays games in Florida and a few others during the year. With the size of the roster and the number of recruits this year there should be more games.

I am glad to see OWU jv is palying Heidelberg. I will be sure to make to that game.

I'm surprised OWU has a JV team.  Haven't they traditionally had smaller rosters?  We've had the roster size discussion before, but that's one of the benefits of the BW/Mount approach of having 50-60 kids is that you can field a full JV squad that plays a full schedule. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 13, 2013, 06:06:51 PM
FYI the Mideast preview is on the front page of d3baseball.com now.  Check it out.  As someone who has written previews I can tell you that it's a lot of work to look at every single team and write about them. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 13, 2013, 06:54:42 PM
Schools that have complete rosters up including freshmen:

BW (http://www.bwyellowjackets.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/roster)
Cap (http://www.capital.edu/baseball-roster/)
Berg (http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/mbaseball/roster)
JCU (http://www.jcusports.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball&)
Etta (http://pioneers.marietta.edu/roster.aspx?path=baseball)
Musky (http://www.muskingum.edu/home/athletics/baseball/roster.html)
ONU (http://www.onusports.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/roster)
Ott (http://www.otterbeincardinals.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball&roster=96&)
Wilm (http://www2.wilmington.edu/campusuite/modules/rosters.cfm?grp_id=6581)

9 of the 10 schools.  All but mine.  Such is life. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 15, 2013, 08:50:32 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 13, 2013, 06:54:42 PM
Schools that have complete rosters up including freshmen:

BW (http://www.bwyellowjackets.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/roster)
Cap (http://www.capital.edu/baseball-roster/)
Berg (http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/mbaseball/roster)
JCU (http://www.jcusports.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball&)
Etta (http://pioneers.marietta.edu/roster.aspx?path=baseball)
Musky (http://www.muskingum.edu/home/athletics/baseball/roster.html)
ONU (http://www.onusports.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/roster)
Ott (http://www.otterbeincardinals.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball&roster=96&)
Wilm (http://www2.wilmington.edu/campusuite/modules/rosters.cfm?grp_id=6581)

9 of the 10 schools.  All but mine.  Such is life.
Dr A,

It has been traditional the last couple of years that Mount is one of the last teams to post their roster. I think it has been just before they leave for FL that it has been on the website.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 18, 2013, 04:43:37 PM
Otterbein crushes Ohio Christian 14-0 in Chillicothe today, http://www.otterbeincardinals.com/custompages/Baseball/2013_games/game01.htm. They are in the second game of the DH and otterbein is losing 4-6. Live stats, http://www.sidearmstats.com/otterbein/baseball/xlive.htm.

Edit: Otterbein loses the second half of the DH 5 - 7.

D3 baseballs blurb about the game: http://www.d3baseball.com/notables/2013/02/recap-18feb2013
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 19, 2013, 12:38:25 PM
There will be an NCAC\OAC battle to start the season when Otterbein plays Wabash on 02/23 in Chillicothe. http://www.d3baseball.com/teams/Otterbein/2013/index
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 20, 2013, 07:56:12 AM
Interesting that Wes Meadows was the starting pitcher for Ott in one of those games. He started one game last year too, but it was near the end of the season. I wonder if with Reuter gone Meadows will see more innings on the hill this year?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 20, 2013, 11:53:34 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 20, 2013, 07:56:12 AM
Interesting that Wes Meadows was the starting pitcher for Ott in one of those games. He started one game last year too, but it was near the end of the season. I wonder if with Reuter gone Meadows will see more innings on the hill this year?

I do not wish to disparage OCU, but they are not the strongest opponent. They are an independent that plays in the NCCAA div II. looking at there roster they have one young man who's school listed I am very familiar with. I can tell you he never played baseball for that school.

It may be a case that Ott wanted to get a look at these two pitchers early in the season and get them some playing time.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 21, 2013, 04:24:39 PM
Given the way at large regional bids are awarded, I question the scheduling decisions of some of these schools.  D-II (even the good ones) don't help you in the eyes of the NCAA.  Scheduling bad opponents doesn't help your team improve, either.  (If you want to schedule a solid D-2 program, call Ashland!).  This is the one area where Wooster, Marietta and 'Berg—OWU used to, don't know if they still do—have really seperated themselves from the other D-III programs in Ohio.  They put together non-conference schedules which challenge their teams a great deal, and boosts schedule strength. 

It is no secret how this is done.  Play the good in-region non-conference teams.  If you are scheduling Hiram or Wilmington as a non-conf opponent, you only marginally help your cause (in region win pct.).  They kill your strength of schedule, though.  Sometimes I wonder if any of the other schools in the OAC or NCAC other than Wooster, MC, and 'Berg are really trying to do anything other than qualify for a spot in the conference tournament.  I think these three schools approach the season every year like they are playing for a spot in Appleton and do EVERYTHING within their abilities to get there.   I would venture a guess that Deegan brings this same approach at Dennison, and perhaps Coach Mott is rekindling that at OWU.  But I'm not sure I see it in the rest of the OAC. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 22, 2013, 07:49:13 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 21, 2013, 04:24:39 PM
Given the way at large regional bids are awarded, I question the scheduling decisions of some of these schools.  D-II (even the good ones) don't help you in the eyes of the NCAA.  Scheduling bad opponents doesn't help your team improve, either.  (If you want to schedule a solid D-2 program, call Ashland!).  This is the one area where Wooster, Marietta and 'Berg—OWU used to, don't know if they still do—have really seperated themselves from the other D-III programs in Ohio.  They put together non-conference schedules which challenge their teams a great deal, and boosts schedule strength. 

It is no secret how this is done.  Play the good in-region non-conference teams.  If you are scheduling Hiram or Wilmington as a non-conf opponent, you only marginally help your cause (in region win pct.).  They kill your strength of schedule, though.  Sometimes I wonder if any of the other schools in the OAC or NCAC other than Wooster, MC, and 'Berg are really trying to do anything other than qualify for a spot in the conference tournament.  I think these three schools approach the season every year like they are playing for a spot in Appleton and do EVERYTHING within their abilities to get there.   I would venture a guess that Deegan brings this same approach at Dennison, and perhaps Coach Mott is rekindling that at OWU.  But I'm not sure I see it in the rest of the OAC.
Nice post Etta, +1. This year OWU is scheduled to play one at Ohio Dominican, and last year they played Malone. These games are usually scheduled near the end of the season right before the conference tournament. They are DH's and give each starting pitcher the opportunity to get innings in against good competition. Mott is sure to schedule Marietta and Heidelberg every year and I would like to see more teams like that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 23, 2013, 10:16:45 PM
If anyone is interested, the Heidelberg preview has been posted on the Berg website. http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/baseball/news/baseballpreview
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 24, 2013, 02:52:39 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 20, 2013, 07:56:12 AM
Interesting that Wes Meadows was the starting pitcher for Ott in one of those games. He started one game last year too, but it was near the end of the season. I wonder if with Reuter gone Meadows will see more innings on the hill this year?

I believe I read that Otterbein does plan to use Wes Meadows on the mound more often this year. It will be interesting to see how that works because catchers throw the ball a lot too.

Freshman transfer Adam Collier I expect to be a big factor for Otterbein. He played for a high school program that won state once and lost in the semifinals the next year -- 57-4 over 2 years total. He was first team all-Columbus Metro with an undefeated record. The other first team pitcher that year went to Xavier.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 24, 2013, 03:20:05 PM
Quote from: motorman on February 23, 2013, 10:16:45 PM
If anyone is interested, the Heidelberg preview has been posted on the Berg website. http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/baseball/news/baseballpreview

Interesting that they mentioned Holt but not O'Driscoll? Is he on track? Because I thought he was really a good prospect as a freshman.

Two more quality arms could make a big difference in a year that no one knows what Marietta has as far as pitching depth and you get Ott, Marietta, and Mount all at home.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2013, 05:55:07 PM
Quote from: Spence on February 24, 2013, 03:20:05 PM
Quote from: motorman on February 23, 2013, 10:16:45 PM
If anyone is interested, the Heidelberg preview has been posted on the Berg website. http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/baseball/news/baseballpreview

Interesting that they mentioned Holt but not O'Driscoll? Is he on track? Because I thought he was really a good prospect as a freshman.

Two more quality arms could make a big difference in a year that no one knows what Marietta has as far as pitching depth and you get Ott, Marietta, and Mount all at home.

To me that's the biggest question mark of the season.  Berg potentially has 4 good pitchers, but 2 have missed long stretches with arm issues.  Are Holt and O'Driscoll going to be ready?  They need Thomas and Minteer to anchor things until the other 2 get settled in.  If all four are healthy and throwing well I don't think anyone can match that depth this year.  Etta possibly, but that's asking a lot even of them in a year they graduated so much.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 24, 2013, 07:31:45 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2013, 05:55:07 PM
Quote from: Spence on February 24, 2013, 03:20:05 PM
Quote from: motorman on February 23, 2013, 10:16:45 PM
If anyone is interested, the Heidelberg preview has been posted on the Berg website. http://www.heidelberg.edu/athletics/teams/baseball/news/baseballpreview

Interesting that they mentioned Holt but not O'Driscoll? Is he on track? Because I thought he was really a good prospect as a freshman.

Two more quality arms could make a big difference in a year that no one knows what Marietta has as far as pitching depth and you get Ott, Marietta, and Mount all at home.

To me that's the biggest question mark of the season.  Berg potentially has 4 good pitchers, but 2 have missed long stretches with arm issues.  Are Holt and O'Driscoll going to be ready?  They need Thomas and Minteer to anchor things until the other 2 get settled in.  If all four are healthy and throwing well I don't think anyone can match that depth this year.  Etta possibly, but that's asking a lot even of them in a year they graduated so much.

I'm eagerly awaiting the Marietta preview story. Guessing they're a little busy with roundball right now (awaiting the tournament draw there too though!). There are a few names among the freshmen that just from some sleuthing I suspect will be called upon and have the physical tools. Hopefully the weather cooperates for the weekend in Xenia.

I think Otterbein could potentially have a good staff. Collier seems like he could be a big difference maker. John Carroll has most of their arms back and had pretty decent pitching last year.

If the Mount Union of last April shows up this year, they could be really, really good. But the Mount Union of May was nowhere near. They have a lot of arms back but didn't get a lot of cheap outs (strikeouts) last year. But one would expect them to get better.

I think those 3 plus the top two look to be ahead of the game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2013, 09:40:27 PM
It's really too bad that BW is out because with those 5 plus the Jackets it could have been awesome to watch just the battle to even make the OAC tourney. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 24, 2013, 09:50:20 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2013, 09:40:27 PM
It's really too bad that BW is out because with those 5 plus the Jackets it could have been awesome to watch just the battle to even make the OAC tourney.

I should have mentioned them, obviously. Still have to play them in the regular season. They had some good talent last year. Don't know how much of it is back or what they've added.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 25, 2013, 08:09:21 AM
Quote from: Spence on February 24, 2013, 09:50:20 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2013, 09:40:27 PM
It's really too bad that BW is out because with those 5 plus the Jackets it could have been awesome to watch just the battle to even make the OAC tourney.

I should have mentioned them, obviously. Still have to play them in the regular season. They had some good talent last year. Don't know how much of it is back or what they've added.

They have a ton back. Most importantly they have Havens back, but they also have their entire lineup back with the exception of Longhitano at SS. Yost is hurt, but they've just plugged in freshman Mark Zimmerman at 3b (who I whined that Mount didn't get because he is a very good player) and he's batting 2nd so Harrison must like him.  BW's issue is going to be do they have arms after Havens.  Either way they're going to be dangerous and as a UMU guy that DH will make me nervous.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 25, 2013, 11:41:28 AM
My issue with BW last year, and the gaudy numbers they seemed to accumulate, was the competition they faced to have those numbers. The interesting thing for their coach will be to keep the kids playing for "something" when there isn't a spot in the post season available. 

I had to chuckle about wanting to see the Marietta preview.  In year's past, there hasn't really been much written about guys who haven't made contributions at the Varsity level. Since there aren't many guys who had a lot of varsity action on the hill I don't know that we will read a whole lot.   

As I said before, Coach Castle will really earn his way this year. 

Can't get here soon enough!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 25, 2013, 11:45:30 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 25, 2013, 11:41:28 AM
My issue with BW last year, and the gaudy numbers they seemed to accumulate, was the competition they faced to have those numbers. The interesting thing for their coach will be to keep the kids playing for "something" when there isn't a spot in the post season available. 

I had to chuckle about wanting to see the Marietta preview.  In year's past, there hasn't really been much written about guys who haven't made contributions at the Varsity level. Since there aren't many guys who had a lot of varsity action on the hill I don't know that we will read a whole lot.   

As I said before, Coach Castle will really earn his way this year. 

Can't get here soon enough!

Well they have 2 pitchers that have done much at the varsity level so I would expect at least some information, even if it's only what freshmen are expected to challenge for innings.

With time running as short as it is now, probably get better information out of the weekend assuming it's not snowed out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 26, 2013, 11:29:46 AM
Mulvey will likely be the #1 starter to begin the season.  I have heard through the grapevine that Langdon has had some injury issues, and may not be ready at season's start.  So one pitcher with significant Varsity time, he was last year's #4.  Brockmeier has pitched some the past few seasons, and will likely see some time.  Thing with Brock is you are making the trade off between an outstanding defensive position player for an OK pitcher.   


Knittel and Bascom are the two young guys who saw some time last year.  Logan Smyth is another who will get some innings as well.  Freshman?  Anyone's guess right now.  The person I talked to said, there are some arms but not many who have earned the trust of the man in charge.  Saturday and Sunday will be a good early look into what is to come for the Pioneers.  Hopefully they can get some games in.  Long range forecast is flurries on Saturday and brutally cold both days (highs of 32!).  I will be content to watch those on my radio!



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 26, 2013, 01:29:19 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 26, 2013, 11:29:46 AM
Mulvey will likely be the #1 starter to begin the season.  I have heard through the grapevine that Langdon has had some injury issues, and may not be ready at season's start.  So one pitcher with significant Varsity time, he was last year's #4.  Brockmeier has pitched some the past few seasons, and will likely see some time.  Thing with Brock is you are making the trade off between an outstanding defensive position player for an OK pitcher.   

Knittel and Bascom are the two young guys who saw some time last year.  Logan Smyth is another who will get some innings as well.  Freshman?  Anyone's guess right now.  The person I talked to said, there are some arms but not many who have earned the trust of the man in charge.  Saturday and Sunday will be a good early look into what is to come for the Pioneers.  Hopefully they can get some games in.  Long range forecast is flurries on Saturday and brutally cold both days (highs of 32!).  I will be content to watch those on my radio!

Well hopefully the guys are ready...these aren't exhibition games! 4 games against solid in-region opponents.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 26, 2013, 02:54:09 PM
I know a freshman at ONU. I was looking at the roster and it has 50 young men on it. 24 are freshmen.
Is this unusual for ONU? Is it because a new coach is trying to revitalize the program?
I know they have a JV team that plays a pretty robust 21 game schedule.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 26, 2013, 03:42:03 PM
I can remember a time not too many years ago, when the Pioneer roster was that big....Not so much any more (32 kids: 10 Frosh, 12 Sophs, 3 Juniors, and 7 Seniors). 

If you are going to revive/revitalize a program, sometimes you need to bring in some new faces.  21 JV games seems like a significant number (Marietta has 17 JV games on the slate for 2013).

I would guess there will be a lot of turnover at some point, and most of those freshman won't still be on the squad as juniors or seniors. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 26, 2013, 11:19:31 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 26, 2013, 11:29:46 AM
Saturday and Sunday will be a good early look into what is to come for the Pioneers.  Hopefully they can get some games in.  Long range forecast is flurries on Saturday and brutally cold both days (highs of 32!).  I will be content to watch those on my radio!

We will be thinking about you guys up here while we are dealing with the heat in Florida. Berg finally got a couple of votes in this week's new poll, hope we show we deserve a lot more than 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 27, 2013, 02:26:48 PM
And just as we are ready to get going, the weather forecast kills the opening games for the weekend.  Now Marietta waits until March 10 when they arrive in Florida get things started. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 27, 2013, 03:31:58 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 27, 2013, 02:26:48 PM
And just as we are ready to get going, the weather forecast kills the opening games for the weekend.  Now Marietta waits until March 10 when they arrive in Florida get things started.

I didn't think the forecast for Friday and Saturday looked that bad, but maybe the field will be unplayable from today and tomorrow!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 27, 2013, 03:33:26 PM
Where they set to play in Xenia? Looking at the weather forecast it will be cold but I did not see rain or snow.

The fields in Xenia are all turf, I cannot imagine that they would get torn up due to the weather between today and Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 27, 2013, 05:13:08 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on February 27, 2013, 03:33:26 PM
Where they set to play in Xenia? Looking at the weather forecast it will be cold but I did not see rain or snow.

The fields in Xenia are all turf, I cannot imagine that they would get torn up due to the weather between today and Saturday.

Was supposed to be in Xenia, yes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: DP 6-4-3 on February 27, 2013, 08:24:41 PM
Not supposed to be above 32 on Sat. Or Sun... Metal bats are unstable below 50..... Great call to cancel games.  I've seen metal bat explode and hurt players.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 27, 2013, 11:03:21 PM
Hey bishop, I accidentally fat fingered my iPad and hit your karma. So you either got a deserved +k or I accidentally dinged you.  If I did I can fix it in 24 hrs it tells me.  Don't want you mistaking clumsy fingers for the OAC board telling you to zip it. Haha.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: 108 Stitches on February 27, 2013, 11:40:36 PM
Quote from: DP 6-4-3 on February 27, 2013, 08:24:41 PM
Not supposed to be above 32 on Sat. Or Sun... Metal bats are unstable below 50..... Great call to cancel games.  I've seen metal bat explode and hurt players.

Holy cannoli 32 degreeeessss. Fogetaboutda bats.... I am unstable below 50!

How you guys deal with this early season "baseball weather" I have no idea.

BTW Dr. Acula you have my all time favorite screen name, nice.

Hoping for a warming trend coming your way gents.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 28, 2013, 12:38:52 AM
Quote from: DP 6-4-3 on February 27, 2013, 08:24:41 PM
Not supposed to be above 32 on Sat. Or Sun... Metal bats are unstable below 50..... Great call to cancel games.  I've seen metal bat explode and hurt players.

Have seen baseball played WAY below that. Think my personal record low was in the 15 neighborhood for a trip to Heidelberg. And that was in Ohio...I'm guessing in Wisconsin and Minnesota they play in the 30s regularly.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on February 28, 2013, 01:37:27 AM
Quote from: Spence on February 28, 2013, 12:38:52 AM
Quote from: DP 6-4-3 on February 27, 2013, 08:24:41 PM
Not supposed to be above 32 on Sat. Or Sun... Metal bats are unstable below 50..... Great call to cancel games.  I've seen metal bat explode and hurt players.

Have seen baseball played WAY below that. Think my personal record low was in the 15 neighborhood for a trip to Heidelberg. And that was in Ohio...I'm guessing in Wisconsin and Minnesota they play in the 30s regularly.
Yeah, 30s is shorts weather for some up here, but it's rare that games are played with temps that low. Playing in the 40s is common.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 28, 2013, 02:29:32 AM
Quote from: Ricky Nelson on February 28, 2013, 01:37:27 AM
Quote from: Spence on February 28, 2013, 12:38:52 AM
Quote from: DP 6-4-3 on February 27, 2013, 08:24:41 PM
Not supposed to be above 32 on Sat. Or Sun... Metal bats are unstable below 50..... Great call to cancel games.  I've seen metal bat explode and hurt players.

Have seen baseball played WAY below that. Think my personal record low was in the 15 neighborhood for a trip to Heidelberg. And that was in Ohio...I'm guessing in Wisconsin and Minnesota they play in the 30s regularly.
Yeah, 30s is shorts weather for some up here, but it's rare that games are played with temps that low. Playing in the 40s is common.

Coach Schaly would go to pretty great lengths to play a ballgame, especially since if you travel to play in the OAC, the games aren't made up if you don't play.

Could be worse...home opener here in Grand Forks is April 19th...North Dakota's first THIRTY games are away from home -- either road or neutral. Not sure why they even bother.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 28, 2013, 09:17:48 AM
Thanks for the heads up Acula, You actually gave me a +1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 28, 2013, 04:04:50 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 27, 2013, 02:26:48 PM
And just as we are ready to get going, the weather forecast kills the opening games for the weekend.  Now Marietta waits until March 10 when they arrive in Florida get things started.

Marietta rescheduled their games with Anderson but were not able to reschedule Depauw. Marietta will play Monday at noon in Xenia vs Anderson in a double header starting at Noon.

Is Monday a holiday? Or will these students be away from class?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseball411 on February 28, 2013, 06:58:43 PM
"Is Monday a holiday? Or will these students be away from class?"

I found this link that lists all US observed holidays.  Quite helpful.

http://www.researchmaniacs.com/HolidayCalendar/Year2013.html
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 01, 2013, 04:31:35 PM
Quote from: DP 6-4-3 on February 27, 2013, 08:24:41 PM
Not supposed to be above 32 on Sat. Or Sun... Metal bats are unstable below 50..... Great call to cancel games.  I've seen metal bat explode and hurt players.

Interesting, since there is a significant part of the early season after the florida trips where the temps aren't even close to 50.  Heck the first two nights of the CWS in appleton in 2011 were below 50.  The regional here in SE Ohio in May were below 50.....

If there is that much of a safety issue, it would be a major problem in a lot of places!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 03, 2013, 03:34:03 PM
Expecting about 40 in Xenia tomorrow.

Not expecting any bat explosions. :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 03, 2013, 06:49:32 PM
BW won swept Wabash today, they are now 5-0 to start the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 03, 2013, 10:01:58 PM
Heidelberg opens up with a 9-7 victory over Moravian. Berg fought back from early 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to score 6 runs in the 5th and take command. Sr Tyler Fruhwirth started and Sr Teddy Lowe picked up the win in relief with a save from Fr Kyle Fluharty in his first collegiate appearance.
Berg bats were led by Jr 2B Joe Staab with 3 hits and 2 RBI, So 1B Eric Monroe with 3 hits, Jr LF Ben Blystone with 3 hits, Fr CF T J Harkness with 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Jr RF Arneal Squibb with 2 hits and 2 RBI.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2013, 08:04:58 AM
The fun has started now. We have a bulk of the teams playing this week down south. Cap is wrapped up.  They started off rough, but rattled off 5 straight to finish up 5-3. We'll see if that translates into OAC wins.

As bishop said BW swept Wabash to move to 5-0. They took 3 from Shawnee St to open things.

ONU split with Hiram and JCU split with Bluffton yesterday.

To motorman and anyone else in the sunshine right now have fun and since I'm stuck in the cold I hope you get sunburned!  Haha.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 04, 2013, 12:01:55 PM
Marietta getting ready to start their twinbill with Anderson.

Mike Mulvey in Game one.
Steve Bascom in Game two, lefty.  Haven't had a good lefty in a few years.

Game 1:
Marietta defeats Anderson in the first game 4-3 in 10 innings.  Mulvey pitched 7 innings, allowed 3 runs.  Brockmeier earned the win, pitching three scoreless frames.  The young middle infield handled themselves well defensively, and freshman Tyler Packanik (2b) pushe across the go ahead run in the top of the 10th.  The two were also able to combine for a game ending double play.  Aaron Hopper threw out what would have been the go-ahead run at the plate in the bottom of the 8th.  I apologize, I don't have the offensive numbers handy, and the link for live stats wasn't working. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 04, 2013, 07:11:49 PM
Berg goes to 2-0 with a 7-2 win over Thiel. 10 hit offensive attack was paced by Jr SS Andrew Zenczak with 2 doubles, a BB and a HBP in 4 plate appearances with 2 RBI. Also adding a pair of hits were Jr LF Ben Blystone and Jr RF Arneal Squibb. Fr DH Derek Hug hit  a 2 run HR in his first collegiate AB to finish off a 3 run 2nd inning which opened the scoring. On the mound, Chris Thomas got his first win of the season with 8 strong innings, with 4 Ks, 2 BBs, 4 hits and 2 earned runs allowed. Thomas didn't allow the first hit of the game until 1 out in the 5th inning. Red shirt freshman Adam Manner pitched a scoreless 9th.

First double header of the season tomorrow with games vs Dominican and Alvernia tomorrow in Fort Myers.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 04, 2013, 08:17:30 PM
Not to steal Ettafan's thunder, but Marietta got the sweep, 7-3 behind sophomore lefty duo Stephen Bascom and Anthony Knittel.

Interesting factoid (that took me a while to find!). Bascom got the win without striking out a batter in six innings, becoming the first Etta Express starting pitcher to get a win without a strikeout since May 7, 2005 when Mike Mooney got the win at John Carroll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 05, 2013, 04:54:19 PM
Berg improves to 4-0 today with 9-3 win over Dominican and 6-3 win over Alvernia. SO Ryan Minteer goes 6 innings for the win in the first game and SR Ethan Holt, in his first game action in 22 months pitches a complete game to beat Alvernia. Minteer had 9 Ks, 2 BBs while only allowing 1 ER in his six innings. FR Ben Sniezek finished with 3 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks and 1 BB to get the save. Berg bats were led by JR RF Arneal Squibb's 4 for 4 performance which included a double and a triple producing 1 RBI, FR CF T J Harkness who was 3 for 3 with 3 RBI and a double, SO C Alex Grove at 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI, and SO Doug Miller with a triple and 2 RBI.

In the 2nd game, Holt had 10 Ks and 2 BBs while allowing 6 H and 2 ER. Grove led the offense with a 3 for 4 effort and 2 RBI while Squibb was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2013, 07:50:00 AM
Great to see Holt go all 9.  Seems some of the preseason question marks are being answered already.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 06, 2013, 08:22:32 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2013, 07:50:00 AM
Great to see Holt go all 9.  Seems some of the preseason question marks are being answered already.
Dr, was a little surprised they let him go all 9 as his pitch count was higher than I would have been comfortable with in his first start in 2 years. Thomas was at 98 pitches through 8. Coach said if it had been later in the season they probably would have let him pitch the 9th also.

Vacation did officially begin yesterday as it was the first day it was warm enough to wear shorts. Know that isn't much comfort back there in snowy Ohio.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 06, 2013, 10:24:44 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 06, 2013, 08:22:32 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2013, 07:50:00 AM
Great to see Holt go all 9.  Seems some of the preseason question marks are being answered already.
Dr, was a little surprised they let him go all 9 as his pitch count was higher than I would have been comfortable with in his first start in 2 years. Thomas was at 98 pitches through 8. Coach said if it had been later in the season they probably would have let him pitch the 9th also.

Vacation did officially begin yesterday as it was the first day it was warm enough to wear shorts. Know that isn't much comfort back there in snowy Ohio.

Thanks for reminding us Motorman, Just finished shoveling the driveway. I will be driving down Friday. Towing a camper. Going to look a little odd with a camper hitched up to the truck with snow on the ground.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 06, 2013, 12:40:49 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 06, 2013, 08:22:32 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2013, 07:50:00 AM
Great to see Holt go all 9.  Seems some of the preseason question marks are being answered already.
Dr, was a little surprised they let him go all 9 as his pitch count was higher than I would have been comfortable with in his first start in 2 years.

Tangotiger basic pitch count estimation based on the box would have Holt at 121 for the game. Boydsworld would have 128.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 06, 2013, 09:47:26 PM
Heidelberg goes to 5-0 on the season with a 5-3 win over Widener today. Berg bats were led by JR 2B Joe Staab with a 2 for 4 day with a double and an RBI, and SO 3B Steve Morse also was 2 for 4 with a double. FR Alex Zander started on the mound and allowed all 3 Widener runs in 2+ innings pitched. SR Teddy Lowe took over in the 3rd and pitched 3 scoreless innings to pick up the win as Berg erased a 2 run deficit with a 3 run 5th inning. SO Adam Manner pitched 3 scoreless innings and FR Kyle Fluharty pitched a scoreless 9th for his 2nd save.

Day off tomorrow before resuming play in Florida Friday vs Central (Iowa) in Fort Myers.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 07, 2013, 12:42:05 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 06, 2013, 09:47:26 PM
Heidelberg goes to 5-0 on the season with a 5-3 win over Widener today. Berg bats were led by JR 2B Joe Staab with a 2 for 4 day with a double and an RBI, and SO 3B Steve Morse also was 2 for 4 with a double. FR Alex Zander started on the mound and allowed all 3 Widener runs in 2+ innings pitched. SR Teddy Lowe took over in the 3rd and pitched 3 scoreless innings to pick up the win as Berg erased a 2 run deficit with a 3 run 5th inning. SO Adam Manner pitched 3 scoreless innings and FR Kyle Fluharty pitched a scoreless 9th for his 2nd save.

Day off tomorrow before resuming play in Florida Friday vs Central (Iowa) in Fort Myers.

Are you actually in attendance at the games? Fluharty has had a couple of dominant relief outings now...was curious whether he throws gas or is fooling people with something else.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 07, 2013, 02:14:16 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 07, 2013, 12:42:05 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 06, 2013, 09:47:26 PM
Heidelberg goes to 5-0 on the season with a 5-3 win over Widener today. Berg bats were led by JR 2B Joe Staab with a 2 for 4 day with a double and an RBI, and SO 3B Steve Morse also was 2 for 4 with a double. FR Alex Zander started on the mound and allowed all 3 Widener runs in 2+ innings pitched. SR Teddy Lowe took over in the 3rd and pitched 3 scoreless innings to pick up the win as Berg erased a 2 run deficit with a 3 run 5th inning. SO Adam Manner pitched 3 scoreless innings and FR Kyle Fluharty pitched a scoreless 9th for his 2nd save.

Day off tomorrow before resuming play in Florida Friday vs Central (Iowa) in Fort Myers.


Are you actually in attendance at the games? Fluharty has had a couple of dominant relief outings now...was curious whether he throws gas or is fooling people with something else.

Yes, am enjoying the weather even though it is cooler than normal. Fluharty has been throwing pretty hard and locating extremely well. Adds a very good breaking ball and he has looked outstanding. He has been incredibly composed for a freshman.

I am a Mount grad, but only been following OAC baseball since my son chose Heidelberg. Your post about the Marietta team not winning the league or the tournament after the 2006 championship seems to support my opinion they won't do it again this year. I saw what Berg went through last year after losing 5 position players, 2 starters, and the all time D3 saves leader. They were a solid team by the end of the year but it took much of the season to get to that point. I know Marietta will still be a good team this year. My biggest problem with the predictions is both Marietta and Mount to make regionals and not Berg. Berg finished regionally ranked while Mount did not. Everybody wonders where Berg offense will be without Lizcano. It looks fine down here. Nobody wonders the same about Marietta without Saunders and Becker. Berg pitching staff is virtually intact from last year except for Nino who missed the start of the year. Actually with what I have seen from the freshmen, it is better than last year and they shut Mount down completely in the OAC tournament.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 07, 2013, 04:13:44 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 07, 2013, 02:14:16 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 07, 2013, 12:42:05 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 06, 2013, 09:47:26 PM
Heidelberg goes to 5-0 on the season with a 5-3 win over Widener today. Berg bats were led by JR 2B Joe Staab with a 2 for 4 day with a double and an RBI, and SO 3B Steve Morse also was 2 for 4 with a double. FR Alex Zander started on the mound and allowed all 3 Widener runs in 2+ innings pitched. SR Teddy Lowe took over in the 3rd and pitched 3 scoreless innings to pick up the win as Berg erased a 2 run deficit with a 3 run 5th inning. SO Adam Manner pitched 3 scoreless innings and FR Kyle Fluharty pitched a scoreless 9th for his 2nd save.

Day off tomorrow before resuming play in Florida Friday vs Central (Iowa) in Fort Myers.


Are you actually in attendance at the games? Fluharty has had a couple of dominant relief outings now...was curious whether he throws gas or is fooling people with something else.

Yes, am enjoying the weather even though it is cooler than normal. Fluharty has been throwing pretty hard and locating extremely well. Adds a very good breaking ball and he has looked outstanding. He has been incredibly composed for a freshman.

I am a Mount grad, but only been following OAC baseball since my son chose Heidelberg. Your post about the Marietta team not winning the league or the tournament after the 2006 championship seems to support my opinion they won't do it again this year. I saw what Berg went through last year after losing 5 position players, 2 starters, and the all time D3 saves leader. They were a solid team by the end of the year but it took much of the season to get to that point. I know Marietta will still be a good team this year. My biggest problem with the predictions is both Marietta and Mount to make regionals and not Berg. Berg finished regionally ranked while Mount did not. Everybody wonders where Berg offense will be without Lizcano. It looks fine down here. Nobody wonders the same about Marietta without Saunders and Becker. Berg pitching staff is virtually intact from last year except for Nino who missed the start of the year. Actually with what I have seen from the freshmen, it is better than last year and they shut Mount down completely in the OAC tournament.

Well in fairness, Marietta didn't win the league in 2006 either! :) So that really wasn't any different.

Marietta outhit Otterbein in all 7 meetings against them, but unbelievably lost 5 of the first 6 meetings. Almost all of the meetings were close and decided in the last 2 innings, twice in extra innings, 5 decided in the last at-bat I think. The first 5 meetings were at Otterbein.

I strongly believe that if Otterbein had won the regional, they would have ended up where Marietta did. The regional was much tougher than the Series that year -- Adrian was eliminated in extra innings, Marietta scored 4 in the bottom of the 9th to beat Manchester and win their way to the title game (I don't know if anyone would have been able to shut down Manchester's offense twice -- they scored 16 runs that day and lost 2), the OTT-MC championship went 12 innings after OTT scored 3 in the 9th to force a 2nd game. And neither OTT nor MC was the top seed (which was a crime)!

But to the point...that Otterbein team that won the league in 2006 and finished 2nd in the regional returned mostly intact. Their ace was the Kent Tekulve Award winner over Mike Eisenberg in 2006 and I believe is still pitching in the pros. Marietta returned only 1 of their top 5 in innings despite only having 1 senior among them in 2006 (Eisenberg was drafted, two freshmen transferred to scholarship ball). So it was entirely proper that Otterbein be the favorite that year, and they lived up to it. But again, just as the previous year, Marietta won the regional as a Pool C. So Marietta had the firepower to win the regional then, just as they did in 06 despite all Otterbein returned. They were overmatched in Appleton, though.

And don't ask Roger Ingles about this...he probably still has nightmares about the great teams he had that could never get past Marietta to get to the Series (even when they lost DeSalvo). It got to where you just felt bad for Ohio Wesleyan. So I think people just assume that Marietta's going to be good and in the hunt, and no one else in the OAC really stood out as an obvious favorite.

But sometimes having a standout favorite doesn't even matter. Heidelberg looked like an obvious favorite in 2011 but Marietta won the national title. Heidelberg got a great split at home in probably the last really off game Blaski had in his career, then finished 2nd in the conference, 2nd in the tournament, 2nd in the regional. Really good team that had a lot coming back that year, but some FR and SOs had developed into great players that even managed to win the championship after losing a pro-caliber pitcher.

As far as Mount goes, they finished 2nd in the conference regular season last year and has pretty much everyone back. That's what everyone is looking at there.

I think the league is loaded this year, and Heidelberg certainly has the schedule advantage, but Marietta's swept up there fairly recently. I don't know if Ott or Mount have though. I look for it to be a really competitive and high-caliber year in the league.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 08, 2013, 03:53:49 PM
To follow up in the '06 squad...

The two regular season games in Otterbein were both lost in the last inning with unearned runs/walks.  I believe this is when the OAC was playing 2 7's in stead of the 7-9 series today.  Remember listening to them on the radio and fuming about the losses.  Also that was the day, according to the book released about the baseball program, they stopped at the Flying J on I-70 (a Brian Brewer Special, according to Eisenberg) and ate at the buffet.  When they got back, Brewer ran them to death because of the poor play and the team started to come together at that point. 

Otterbein was LOADED that year.  Pitching, Hitting, the whole way through.

Marietta had DeMark and Eisenberg (2 and 4 in IP in 2005), and the only real "known" offensive threat was Tony Piconke (who's 2006 season numbers weren't great) and Jared Klausman, though others became significant contributers.  To say Marietta got hot in the regional would be an understatement.  They caught a few breaks here and there too.  Mike Mooney and Justin Papania graduated from the rotation the year prior, as did Chris Sidick.  (Eisenberg, unless he signed with independent ball this past winter has been out of baseball for a couple of years). 

So in 2007, they lost DeMark, Eisenberg, Steranka, Klausman, and still went to the CWS to go two and bbq. So you never really know what is going to happen from one year to the next.   

'Berg is still my pick to win the conference, and has a good shot of winning the region.  I'm not convinced that Marietta's Pitching is going to be where it needs to be this season.  Offesnsively they have a lot of firepower returning.  But when it comes down to it, Pitching and defense are what wins championships.  The defense will probably be there, but the pithing?  We'll find out a lot next week.   

Regarding 2011...

I'll preface this by saying had Marietta and 'Berg gone to seperate regionals in 2010, I believe they both would have made the trip to appleton.  I would say the same was a distinct possibility again in 2011.   Both of those teams were loaded.  That 2010 'Berg team could mash it as well as anyone.  They were Loaded.   Marietta had pitching, but used it up battling throug the losers bracket. 'Berg, that year, had a fairly easy path through the regional playing only three games total (a rule that was changed in 2011). 

I think the differnce maker from 2010 to 2011 was the bat change to the bbcor standards and the improvement of MC's pitching staff.  Everyone's offensive numbers numbers dropped substantially, but it seemed to have a bigger impact on Heidelberg than anyone else in the OAC.  The two teams were largely the same for both MC and 'Berg from 2010-2011. 

Consider in 2010:

'Berg- Avg: .356, SLG: .535, HR: 46, 3b: 20, 2b: 145  ERA: 4.19, OppAvg: .268, OPP SLG: .385:
        AB/Gm:  35.98, HR/AB: .025, 3b/ab: .011, 2b/ab: .081
MC - Avg: .351, SLG: .514, HR: 40, 3b: 24, 2b: 118, ERA: 3.72, OppAvg: .278, OPP SLG: .384
        AB/GM: 35.79, HR/ab: .022, 3b/ab: .013, 2b/ab: .067

Then in 2011
'Berg- Avg: .316, SLG: .441, HR: 29, 3B: 14, 2b: 89, ERA 3.49 OppAvg: .259 OPP SLG: .329
        AB/GM: 33.38, HR/AB: .017, 3b/ab: .008, 2b/ab: .054
MC - Avg: .338, SLG: .449, HR: 15, 3b: 20, 2b: 105, ERA 1.74, Opp avg: .191, OPP SLG: .245, 
        AB/GM 33.78, HR/AB: .008, 3b/ab: .011, 2b/ab: .061

(for reference, the second line for each is the number of HR's per at bat, etc.)

'Berg's lineup, while still very dangerous, just wasn't as dangerous as it had been.  MC's pitching staff was unbelievably dominant, and their offense didn't suffer nearly as badly with the new bats. 

The jury is out on the MC team.  We will learn a lot starting Sunday.  'Berg has a few games under their belt, and is gaining confidence.  Mount Union is interesting.  Last year was one of their better teams in a long time, and when it came time to close the season, they fell apart.  It wasn't just the OAC tourney, they blew some games down the stretch they needed to win for whatever reason. 

Gonna be a fun year as the top 5 teams in the league are pretty good. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 08, 2013, 06:10:31 PM
I don't know if MC got hot in 06 so much as finally got to play Otterbein away from Westerville and caught a break. Brewer also handled his pitching staff better than Powell, IMO. MC was really good that year -- they started out with 3 straight L's on a trip from hell to Salisbury MD (which was never repeated), and then needed that refocusing that EttaFan talked about after 3 straight 1-run losses. They had 6 D-III losses after a 2-4 start -- 5 of those losses were to Otterbein.

Obviously, MC got a little lucky against Manchester. But I remember listening to that game and feeling that coming. We had tons of runners on with less than two outs all game but could never get the big hit. Then once Marietta put some pressure on, Manchester melted. Their relief ace had thrown 5 2/3 the day before because of a game suspended by severe thunderstorms and he never fooled anyone against Marietta.

I think you're getting 04 and 05 mixed up a little bit. Eisenberg was the 3/4 starter in 05, but he had more than 4 innings. DeMark was the ace and went 10-0. The team actually hit pretty well and had several impact guys coming back.

The 07 team lost a lot more than just those guys from 06 -- the guy that beat Chapman was a FR that never came back. Scott Dunn went to Seton Hill. Jason Baumler got injured midway through 07. They lost as much pitching as this year's team did from '12...which was the original point of all of this. :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 08, 2013, 10:10:11 PM
Heidelberg lost their first game of the season, 6-5 to Central College of Iowa. Berg was in a 6-1 hole after 3 innings and spent the rest of the game battling back. They had the tying run at 3rd with 2 outs in the 9th, but couldn't push it across. They were led at the plate by JR RF Arneal Squibb who was 4 for 5 with a double, FR CF T J Harkness who was 3 for 5 with an RBI, and JR LF Ben Blystone who was 2 for 4. SR Tyler Fruhwirth went the distance after his tough first 3 innings and took the loss.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2013, 09:00:45 AM
Harkness is going to be a stud. Freshman CF and I think Palm's had him batting 2nd every game.

I can finally get excited for the season. Mount starts with a DH tomorrow and according to Twitter just rolled over the state line an hour ago. In Florida and finally ready to start!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 09, 2013, 10:50:12 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2013, 09:00:45 AM
Harkness is going to be a stud. Freshman CF and I think Palm's had him batting 2nd every game.

I can finally get excited for the season. Mount starts with a DH tomorrow and according to Twitter just rolled over the state line an hour ago. In Florida and finally ready to start!

I'd be interested to know who else recruited Harkness. He was all-Ohio I believe and does appear to be a good one.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 09, 2013, 02:58:34 PM
Berg improves to 6-1 with a 7-2 win over Bluffton. Was quite the pitchers battle with Bluffton up 2-1 entering the top of the 8th. Berg scored 2 in the 8th to take the lead and 4 more in the 9th to salt it away. SO DH Alex Grove led the way with a 3 for 3 day including a triple and an RBI. JR LF Ben Blystone was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and SO 3B Steve Morse was 2 for 5 with a double and 3 RBI. JR Chris Thomas pitched 8 innings, then walked the leadoff batter to start the 9th and SR Teddy Lowe came in to finish. Thomas allowed 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned with 7Ks and the 1 BB while improving to 2-0 on the season.

Berg continues Florida trip with 3pm game tomorrow vs Salem State.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 09, 2013, 10:27:46 PM
Marietta split their first day in Florida, losing 2-0 in a non-region game against Montclair State before winning 15-10 over Wooster in a regional game.

FR transfer Jason Byers gave up 2 hits in 8 innings in the opener but unfortunately one of them went over the fence while Dylan Papa gave up 7 hits but 0 runs and really not many threats, thanks to 3 inning-ending double plays.

In the second game, the bats woke up, obviously. The pitching left much to be desired for both teams. Mike Mulvey was decent as the Marietta starter, but still gave up 8 hits and 5 runs in 6 1/3. He did get the win though.

Marietta is 3-1, 3-0 in the region. Wooster was playing its first game of the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2013, 09:48:37 PM
Mount swept their opening DH against Greensboro behind a couple strong starts. Took the opener 2-1 behind a CG (7 IP, 9 k) from Carlino.  Murzynski went 6 and fanned 8 in the 6-1 win in game 2. 

Franklin & Marshall tomorrow AM.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 11, 2013, 12:26:04 PM
Mount drops the opener to Franklin & Marshall 2-1.  Back to back walks to start the 4th lead to a pair of unearned runs off of Pryor and that was all she wrote.  The Raider bats got left behind at the hotel as they only even threatened to score twice in the game.  The F&M pitcher shut them down striking out 9 and not allowing a run until the 6th I believe.  Need to bounce back and salvage a split.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 11, 2013, 01:28:51 PM
The Pioneers mashed Dennison today 14-2.  Steve Bascom got the win.  The Pioneer bats did their damage in this game shortened by the 10-run rule. Bascom allowed an unearned run and was the winning pitcher.   

The buidling of the Big Red Program isn't going to an overnight story for Mike Deegan.  4 Errors plagued the Big Red Defesne and the pitching is not even close.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 11, 2013, 02:19:53 PM
Yeah he's gotta find out what he has. He had a couple of guys that threw well yesterday.

Good to see Marietta get the bats and the arms going at once. Sounded like Carithers has a live arm.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 11, 2013, 02:29:14 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 11, 2013, 12:26:04 PM
Mount drops the opener to Franklin & Marshall 2-1.  Back to back walks to start the 4th lead to a pair of unearned runs off of Pryor and that was all she wrote.  The Raider bats got left behind at the hotel as they only even threatened to score twice in the game.  The F&M pitcher shut them down striking out 9 and not allowing a run until the 6th I believe.  Need to bounce back and salvage a split.

Got the split.  7-3 with the big blow being an E8 that cleared the bases with 2 down in the 2nd.       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 11, 2013, 03:04:02 PM
QuoteGood to see Marietta get the bats and the arms going at once. Sounded like Carithers has a live arm.

Now is when things get interesting for Marietta....We've used Mulvey, Bascom, and Byers.  I am going to predict that Mulvey and Byers are one and two in the rotation, and Bascom three.  Who is going to be 4?  Next two days are going to be interesting to see who they throw. 

• Byers was a pleasant surprise even though he got the L.
• Mulvey is what he is, a guy who goes in there and throws strikes. He won't dominate anyone, as his two outing show.
• Bascom had a pretty good day today, an Ok first outing.  It will be interesting to see how he develops over the course of the spring.  (He may be the starter against Wheaton Mass on Saturday!)
• We have had a few defensive issues up the middle.  In the game agains Wooster, yesterday, Hannahan made errors on three straight plays (all with two outs) to keep things going for the Scots, and then his error leads to an unearned run again today. 
• All in all, we are still very good defensively.  Despite the youth up the middle, both guys are making plays.
• The bats came to life against WOoster, and continued against Dennsion. I'm guessing we saw Wooster's #1 or #2 and roughed him up pretty good. 

I'm interested to see how we do against OWU on Wednesday, a key in region game for both teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 11, 2013, 07:02:02 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 11, 2013, 03:04:02 PM
QuoteGood to see Marietta get the bats and the arms going at once. Sounded like Carithers has a live arm.

Now is when things get interesting for Marietta....We've used Mulvey, Bascom, and Byers.  I am going to predict that Mulvey and Byers are one and two in the rotation, and Bascom three.  Who is going to be 4?  Next two days are going to be interesting to see who they throw. 

I had a pretty good feeling about Byers. I think Brewer will try to get a look at most everyone that has any chance at all. There may be several guys out there tomorrow for this non-region game.

• Mulvey is what he is, a guy who goes in there and throws strikes. He won't dominate anyone, as his two outing show.

He's struck out 10 in 13 innings. It's not Blaski-type dominance but it's not bad. He needs to keep the ball down.

• Bascom had a pretty good day today, an Ok first outing.  It will be interesting to see how he develops over the course of the spring.  (He may be the starter against Wheaton Mass on Saturday!)

I think Mulvey or Byers will go against Wheaton, the other against Webster.

• We have had a few defensive issues up the middle.  In the game agains Wooster, yesterday, Hannahan made errors on three straight plays (all with two outs) to keep things going for the Scots, and then his error leads to an unearned run again today. 

.200 hitting and .850 fielding won't keep him in Brewer's good graces for long. It's early though.

I'm interested to see how we do against OWU on Wednesday, a key in region game for both teams.

Wesleyan has 7 games in 5 days and 5 of them are region games. Hard to tell what they might do pitching-wise.  They have 2 pretty solid returners and another guy that wasn't bad but walked a few too many guys. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2013, 07:56:04 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 11, 2013, 07:02:02 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 11, 2013, 03:04:02 PM
QuoteGood to see Marietta get the bats and the arms going at once. Sounded like Carithers has a live arm.

Now is when things get interesting for Marietta....We've used Mulvey, Bascom, and Byers.  I am going to predict that Mulvey and Byers are one and two in the rotation, and Bascom three.  Who is going to be 4?  Next two days are going to be interesting to see who they throw. 

I had a pretty good feeling about Byers. I think Brewer will try to get a look at most everyone that has any chance at all. There may be several guys out there tomorrow for this non-region game.

• Mulvey is what he is, a guy who goes in there and throws strikes. He won't dominate anyone, as his two outing show.

He's struck out 10 in 13 innings. It's not Blaski-type dominance but it's not bad. He needs to keep the ball down.

• Bascom had a pretty good day today, an Ok first outing.  It will be interesting to see how he develops over the course of the spring.  (He may be the starter against Wheaton Mass on Saturday!)

I think Mulvey or Byers will go against Wheaton, the other against Webster.

• We have had a few defensive issues up the middle.  In the game agains Wooster, yesterday, Hannahan made errors on three straight plays (all with two outs) to keep things going for the Scots, and then his error leads to an unearned run again today. 

.200 hitting and .850 fielding won't keep him in Brewer's good graces for long. It's early though.

I'm interested to see how we do against OWU on Wednesday, a key in region game for both teams.

Wesleyan has 7 games in 5 days and 5 of them are region games. Hard to tell what they might do pitching-wise.  They have 2 pretty solid returners and another guy that wasn't bad but walked a few too many guys.

Cooper started and beat BW yesterday. If Sega starts today it could be iffy on Wednesday for OWU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 12, 2013, 04:43:10 PM
'Berg defeated Dennison earlier today in spite of a rain delay.  Don't know the details, but the MC radio guys were mentioning it.

Marietta survives, winning 7-6 in 10 innings.  After freshman mike Finlan pitches a gem through 8 innings allowing 1 run, the bullpen gives up 4 in the top of nine and then a solo hr in the top of 10. Marietta scores on a wild pitch and an hit/error (official scoring unknown at this time) in the bottom of the 10th.

So far starting pitching has been good. The bullpen is a major concern right now in this young season. There waas plenty of talk about the starters last year, but right now the guys missed the most are Logan Lewis, Kyle Linquist, and Luke Langdon who shut down everything.  W have to get the bullpen figured out to have the success we expect in Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2013, 07:29:58 PM
Berg got great pitching again today and not from any of their "known" guys.  1 run on 2 hits in 9 IP is pretty good.  Holt was good again yesterday too.  If any of those young guys emerge to compliment that 1-2-3 of Thomas, Holt, Minteer they're going to be very tough.

I was a little surprised to see them only grab 4 votes in this week's poll.  Still really early though.  If they keep winning they'll be ranked shortly I'm sure.  Mount and BW were still ahead of them this week in the ORV, but BW has dropped 2 straight now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 12, 2013, 08:51:40 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 12, 2013, 04:43:10 PM
'Berg defeated Dennison earlier today in spite of a rain delay.  Don't know the details, but the MC radio guys were mentioning it.

Marietta survives, winning 7-6 in 10 innings.  After freshman mike Finlan pitches a gem through 8 innings allowing 1 run, the bullpen gives up 4 in the top of nine and then a solo hr in the top of 10. Marietta scores on a wild pitch and an hit/error (official scoring unknown at this time) in the bottom of the 10th.

So far starting pitching has been good. The bullpen is a major concern right now in this young season. There waas plenty of talk about the starters last year, but right now the guys missed the most are Logan Lewis, Kyle Linquist, and Luke Langdon who shut down everything.  W have to get the bullpen figured out to have the success we expect in Marietta.

Still some guys that haven't been seen. I think this team is pretty good on defense and in the batter's box. Overall I'm encouraged. I imagine 8 innings was more than they hoped for out of Finlan.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 13, 2013, 09:52:57 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2013, 07:29:58 PM
Berg got great pitching again today and not from any of their "known" guys.  1 run on 2 hits in 9 IP is pretty good.  Holt was good again yesterday too.  If any of those young guys emerge to compliment that 1-2-3 of Thomas, Holt, Minteer they're going to be very tough.

I was a little surprised to see them only grab 4 votes in this week's poll.  Still really early though.  If they keep winning they'll be ranked shortly I'm sure.  Mount and BW were still ahead of them this week in the ORV, but BW has dropped 2 straight now.
Sorry I have been missing for a while, lost my internet connection in Florida. Unfortunately for me, I am back in Ohio now.

You are right Dr., there have been a lot of the freshmen, plus SO Adam Manner who was hurt all of last year that have been impressive. Pitching appears very solid for Berg. Will also help if Fruhwirth puts it together after a couple of tough starts in Florida. They problem that has to be solved is the D. They made 6 errors against Denison and still won the game because of the solid pitching. In his last start vs. Salem State, Minteer wasn't great but was good enough to win if the defense hadn't let him down. That can't continue to happen against good teams.

I have given up on trying to make any sense out of the poll numbers. 2-4 Adrian was only 3 points from still being in the top 25 and 6-2 Berg only gets 4 points? I know most of Adrian's losses have been to quality teams but they also lost to Muskingum who is 1-8. BW should rightly fall below them next week, their losses have come since the last poll came out. They also get fewer points than sub .500 Webster. Hopefully the weather cooperates this weekend and they get a chance to prove something against #21 ranked Manchester.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 13, 2013, 12:28:26 PM
The poll is too sticky. Voters tend to be too slow in making adjustments especially at this time of year. It's something I've complained about before.

Webster has played some good competition and I imagine they're probably a pretty good team, but you have to earn it on the field to at least some extent.

My #1 this week would have been a team that didn't get any first-place votes, and I would have had Manchester in the top 10. I hope they can get that series in this weekend.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2013, 01:20:06 PM
Mount beat Transylvania 3-2 this morning. Clarke gave them 7 solid innings (2 ER, 7 K) but got the ND since they trailed 2-1 up until the bottom of the 8th.  The offense was sluggish again today.  Mathis has been slow out of the gate so hopefully once he gets on track it'll pick up. He's such a huge part of the offense.  It's early and they're 4-1 so I can't complain.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2013, 05:43:14 PM
BW beat Denison in what looked a good game.  9-6 was the final, but BW plated a pair in the bottom of the 8th to get some breathing room.  BW is 7-2 now.

Also, looks like Etta is beating up on OWU so far.  12-0 currently.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 13, 2013, 07:40:29 PM
Marietta wins 18-1.

Owu plated an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth. Ugly 7th inning for the bishops.

Pioneers get a day off tomorrow (jv game) and then play webster, who Marietta eliminated in the Cws last year and then Wheaton (Il) before the big one against Wheaton mass.

Brockmeier pitched 5 innings but seemed to struggle. Owu couldn't get a timely hit. The pioneer bats are scorching right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 13, 2013, 08:18:29 PM
Their first guy did fairly well but threw 80 pitches in 4 innings. That must have been his limit because they didn't seem to have much left after him.

Brockmeier may have been equal parts lucky and good, leaving 11 on base in his 5 shutout innings. 3 times the bases were left loaded.

Sounded like Byers was the only truly dominant pitcher on the day. 2 perfect innings.

Them throwing short outings today makes me think they're making another start on the trip, and this was their bullpen day in between starts.

Shortstop continues to be the only trouble spot in an otherwise excellent defense.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2013, 03:13:21 PM
I was hoping Washington (MD) would be a fairly stiff test for Mount.  They won 28 games last year.  But it appears they lost a couple studs to graduation and are 5-5 this year so far.  It will be interesting to see who gets the ball for the Raiders since they're down to #6 today.  Maybe a committee day as teams are known to do in FL.  Find out in about 15 minutes I suppose.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2013, 06:24:07 PM
Horning struggled with his command today and didn't make it out of the 2nd inning, but it didn't matter at all.  The Raider offense put up a 10 spot in the 3rd and 7 more in the 4th.  Final was 25-8.  Mount is now 5-1 with Albion tomorrow for a double dip. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 14, 2013, 07:23:28 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2013, 06:24:07 PM
Horning struggled with his command today and didn't make it out of the 2nd inning, but it didn't matter at all.  The Raider offense put up a 10 spot in the 3rd and 7 more in the 4th.  Final was 25-8.  Mount is now 5-1 with Albion tomorrow for a double dip.

Has Mount ever been ranked?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2013, 07:29:30 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 14, 2013, 07:23:28 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2013, 06:24:07 PM
Horning struggled with his command today and didn't make it out of the 2nd inning, but it didn't matter at all.  The Raider offense put up a 10 spot in the 3rd and 7 more in the 4th.  Final was 25-8.  Mount is now 5-1 with Albion tomorrow for a double dip.

Has Mount ever been ranked?

No, I don't believe so.  Definitely not ever in the D3.com era.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2013, 11:37:04 AM
Mount takes game 1 from Albion 4-1.  Carlino gives up a run in the 1st and then settles in to pick up the win tossing 5 shutout innings after that to go to 2-0 on the year.  Albion got a couple guys on in the 6th, but back to back strikeouts got Carlino out of the jam.  The only negative was that the Raiders struck out 9 or 10 times I believe (it was audio only so I'm not certain).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 15, 2013, 02:38:18 PM
Marietta lost to Webster 3-2 in 10 innings. Were down 2-0 with 2 outs in bottom of 9th and tied it on a throwing error by pitcher. Gave up a lead off walk, sac bunt and RBI single in top of 10th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 15, 2013, 02:38:59 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2013, 11:37:04 AM
Mount takes game 1 from Albion 4-1.  Carlino gives up a run in the 1st and then settles in to pick up the win tossing 5 shutout innings after that to go to 2-0 on the year.  Albion got a couple guys on in the 6th, but back to back strikeouts got Carlino out of the jam.  The only negative was that the Raiders struck out 9 or 10 times I believe (it was audio only so I'm not certain).

Surprised to see them go with their top 2 against Albion rather than Hope, but maybe no one else was ready.

Win two tomorrow and I think Mount Union is ranked in the next poll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 15, 2013, 02:45:53 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 15, 2013, 02:38:18 PM
Marietta lost to Webster 3-2 in 10 innings. Were down 2-0 with 2 outs in bottom of 9th and tied it on a throwing error by pitcher. Gave up a lead off walk, sac bunt and RBI single in top of 10th.

Man you're quick!

Yeah Webster's ace Dooley (who was used as an Andy Lowe-ish reliever last year) was very good, and their reliever did well also. Sounds like they didn't give much to hit.

Jason Byers again pitches well but gets no run support. He's gotten 0 runs in 15 innings...maybe it's a freshman hazing thing. :)

Marietta has Wheaton (Ill.) later today followed by Wheaton (Mass.) tomorrow! Will be interesting to see who pitches in the late game today; suspect Mulvey goes tomorrow.

EDIT: Mulvey pitching against Wheaton. It's his 5th day, but I expected them to keep him for tomorrow. I guess it's Bascom tomorrow?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2013, 03:22:40 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 15, 2013, 02:38:59 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2013, 11:37:04 AM
Mount takes game 1 from Albion 4-1.  Carlino gives up a run in the 1st and then settles in to pick up the win tossing 5 shutout innings after that to go to 2-0 on the year.  Albion got a couple guys on in the 6th, but back to back strikeouts got Carlino out of the jam.  The only negative was that the Raiders struck out 9 or 10 times I believe (it was audio only so I'm not certain).

Surprised to see them go with their top 2 against Albion rather than Hope, but maybe no one else was ready.

Win two tomorrow and I think Mount Union is ranked in the next poll.

I think they had to.  They had used 6 starters and those guys were on full rest.  Not ideal, but this way their "OAC rotation" guys all get 2 starts down south. 

They did do the job and swept Albion.  12-3 was the final in the 2nd game.  7-1 overall.  Soph Anthony Morino is smoking hot right now.  16 for 29 (.552) with 5 2B, 14 RBI in 8 games. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 15, 2013, 06:33:52 PM
Marietta gets the split, 10-5 with Mulvey pitching 7 solid innings of 3 hit ball.
Anthony Knittel struggled in the 8th inning and Jordan Carithers struck out 2 and allowed 0 hits and 1 unearned run in the 9th.

That's two straight good relief outings by Carithers.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 15, 2013, 09:59:41 PM
Sound like Dr. A, had too much time on my hands, so I did a little research. I know NCAA strength of schedule is only for in region games, so I compared the records of the opposition so far for the top 6 teams in the OAC as of right now. I only included D3 opponents since I am not ambitious enough to search for the non D3 opponents records.


                           BW       Mount        Berg         Ott            Etta           JCU

W-L                   22-37     40-55       49-43       6-14         25-38        43-49
Win %                .373       .421         .533         .300         .397           .467

JCU and Etta have lost to the best opponents, but they are also the only teams they have played with winning records. Berg has beaten a pair of 8-3 teams and a 7-5, but lost a bad game to 3-7 Salem State. Mount's only loss is to 4-7 Franklin and Marshall, haven't faced an opponent over .500. BW also lost to only opponent with winning record and 2-3 OWU. Ott's only D3 games have been vs. 3-7 Earlham.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on March 15, 2013, 10:27:20 PM
Losing to Salem State isn't bad. Seven losses aren't ideal, but that's a tough noncon schedule for any team.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 16, 2013, 07:14:34 AM
Berg has shifted this weekends schedule to try to avoid the weather as much as possible. Today will be a single game vs Manchester with a 3:30pm start. DH has been moved to tomorrow at 1pm. Dedication of the new Patriots Park monument will be at noon Sunday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 16, 2013, 02:45:17 PM
Marietta drops the last game on their Florida trip, 8-5 to Wheaton.

MC fell behind big early and then scored 4 in the 8th and Wheaton's second baseman prevented the tying run from reaching scoring position when he snared Chris Winpigler's line drive into the hole between 1st and 2nd. The shot would have scored 2 runs.

The team played a very ambitious schedule in Florida as usual, but 5-3 on the trip would still not be what they were looking for. Doesn't get any easier next week with Montclair and Huntingdon coming to town.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 16, 2013, 06:07:16 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 16, 2013, 02:45:17 PM
Marietta drops the last game on their Florida trip, 8-5 to Wheaton.

MC fell behind big early and then scored 4 in the 8th and Wheaton's second baseman prevented the tying run from reaching scoring position when he snared Chris Winpigler's line drive into the hole between 1st and 2nd. The shot would have scored 2 runs.

The team played a very ambitious schedule in Florida as usual, but 5-3 on the trip would still not be what they were looking for. Doesn't get any easier next week with Montclair and Huntingdon coming to town.

a positive to take away from the first 10 games....their in-region record stands at 5-0.  the hitting has been pretty solid, the defense has been there for the most part, and the pitching shows signs of shut down potential.  good things to work off of for the next 2 months!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 16, 2013, 06:33:44 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on March 16, 2013, 06:07:16 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 16, 2013, 02:45:17 PM
Marietta drops the last game on their Florida trip, 8-5 to Wheaton.

MC fell behind big early and then scored 4 in the 8th and Wheaton's second baseman prevented the tying run from reaching scoring position when he snared Chris Winpigler's line drive into the hole between 1st and 2nd. The shot would have scored 2 runs.

The team played a very ambitious schedule in Florida as usual, but 5-3 on the trip would still not be what they were looking for. Doesn't get any easier next week with Montclair and Huntingdon coming to town.

a positive to take away from the first 10 games....their in-region record stands at 5-0.  the hitting has been pretty solid, the defense has been there for the most part, and the pitching shows signs of shut down potential.  good things to work off of for the next 2 months!

Certainly true. The in-region games are really the key (for one more year anyway). I think the best thing to be said about everything else is "it's early." It would be crazy to get wound up about a 7-3 start with this many people getting their feet wet on the mound and in the middle of the infield.

I hope to see more of Jordan Carithers. He seems like he's had very little trouble in his two short outings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 16, 2013, 10:16:48 PM
Berg knocked Manchester from the ranks of the unbeaten today with a 2-1 victory on a day more suited to polar bears than baseball players. Berg starter, JR Chris Thomas, went 8 1/3 innings allowing only 4 hits that didn't leave the infield and 1 unearned run but didn't get the decision. SO Adam Manner came in with runners on first and second with 1 out in the 9th and kept Manchester from scoring the go ahead run in the 1-1 tie. Berg then took advantage of a 2 base error, bunt single by SR C Jordan Martin, and RBI single by JR 2B Joe Staab to push across the winning run. Staab was 3 for 5 with both Berg RBI on the day while SO DH Alex Grove was 2 for 4.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 16, 2013, 11:36:34 PM
You think it's suited for polar bears there...it's -12 where I live and we're looking for nearly a foot of snow in the next couple of days!

Was something wrong with Thomas last year? He had some good starts in limited time as a FR and then struggled quite a bit as a soph. This year it seems like he can do very little wrong.

Interested to see what happens tomorrow. Even though Heidelberg clearly had the better of the game, Manchester blew probably the best scoring chance of the game in the 9th. Up until then most of the runners in scoring position got there with 2 out. Seemed like a really well pitched game on both sides from following it online. I went back and forth on whether I would have walked Staab or not. But I think I would have.

If either team sweeps tomorrow, that team IMO is #1 in the region for now. Either a 3 game home sweep or a 2-1 series road win would be pretty impressive.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 17, 2013, 01:19:32 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 16, 2013, 11:36:34 PM
You think it's suited for polar bears there...it's -12 where I live and we're looking for nearly a foot of snow in the next couple of days!

Was something wrong with Thomas last year? He had some good starts in limited time as a FR and then struggled quite a bit as a soph. This year it seems like he can do very little wrong.

Interested to see what happens tomorrow. Even though Heidelberg clearly had the better of the game, Manchester blew probably the best scoring chance of the game in the 9th. Up until then most of the runners in scoring position got there with 2 out. Seemed like a really well pitched game on both sides from following it online. I went back and forth on whether I would have walked Staab or not. But I think I would have.

If either team sweeps tomorrow, that team IMO is #1 in the region for now. Either a 3 game home sweep or a 2-1 series road win would be pretty impressive.

Thomas's only start as a freshman came in the regional championship game vs Marietta where he matched Gasser until Marietta scored the winning unearned run in the 5th. He spent half that freshman season recovering from an injury.

Last year he was up and down, was 5-4, but strong down the stretch. He had 2 key relief appearances against JCU and Cap that helped get Berg into the OAC tournament, then shut down Mount in the first game of the tournament with a dominant complete game performance.

Today he faced 1 batter over the minimum through 5 innings. He didn't give up a hit that made it out of the infield. The 2 infield singles in the 9th were the only inning he gave up 2 hits in an inning. Berg outhit Manchester 10-4 and had a couple of multiple hit innings but couldn't come up with the clutch hit except for the 2 from Staab. All in all, a solid team win.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2013, 10:04:56 AM
It was a matter of time and health for Thomas IMO. I base that purely on the fact that he was a GREAT high school pitcher (All-Ohio) at a good DI program. He put up insane numbers in the Federal League which is a good DI league.  You don't do what he did without being talented. Now that he's healthy we are seeing what had Palm probably doing cartwheels when he got him to come to Berg.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2013, 12:35:13 PM
Mount split with Hope yesterday to end their southern trip 8-2.  Some thoughts on the trip:

I can't be disappointed with the pitching.  Overall very good.  Carlino and Murzynski are All-OAC guys and they looked like it.  Outside of one inning they were fantastic.  Can't ask for any more from those two.  Soph. Sam Clarke made a very nice start as well.  Definitely promising for depth purposes to see that.  Fellow soph. Brandon Bell was great closing making 3 scoreless appearances (2 saves).  Pryor was up and down in his two starts.  Bekelesky and Horning struggled with command, but I'm not worried about any of those 3 guys.  I liked soph. Gino Ceriani throwing some solid relief innings (2 games, 7 IP, 3 ER, 10 K).  In the past the issue was always depth.  With some of these sophomores potentially emerging as solid relievers it only improves that issue.  Hopefully they can keep it up in Ohio.

Offensively I'm not quite sure what to make of the trip.  Morino was definitely a great surprise.  He really hit the ball well.  So did Evan Knott (.429, 6 extra base hits, 14 RBI).  Mathis tripled twice (in one inning) in the last game of the trip so hopefully he's working his way out of his slow start.  He ended up hitting .229, but 3 of his 8 hits are triples so it seems like when he hits he hits it hard.  He'll be fine.  The question mark right now seems to be the 3rd OF spot.  Jakubik started and then freshman Scott Sherwood started the last few games.

The reason I say I'm not quite sure what to make is because statistically they hit .336 and scored over 7 runs per game.  But they scored more than 1/3 of their runs in 1 game.  While I don't ever see this as a long ball offense I do see it as an athletic lineup that can execute small ball.  Lots of guys that can steal a base.  They're going to put a lot of pressure on the defense.  I'll be interested to see how that translates against front line OAC starters.

Overall, that was a pretty successful trip.  I would have liked to take that 2-1 loss against Franklin & Marshall, but they snagged a couple comeback wins so you can't have everything.  The most exciting thing as a Raider fan is that this team is STILL very young.  This entire squad will return again next year as there isn't a senior on the roster.  Can't help but be a little pumped about that. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 17, 2013, 06:34:08 PM
They must have been using wood bats at Heidelberg this weekend. 11 runs total in 3 games?

There are a lot of solid teams in the conference. I don't know if there's a great one right now. But MC, Heidelberg, Mount, Otterbein, B-W and JCU will all win a lot of games I think.

The imbalance in the home-road schedules this year is kind of unfortunate. If Marietta or Otterbein (especially Otterbein) finish in the top 2 they'll have earned it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 18, 2013, 01:04:31 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2013, 08:18:29 PM
Their first guy did fairly well but threw 80 pitches in 4 innings. That must have been his limit because they didn't seem to have much left after him.

Brockmeier may have been equal parts lucky and good, leaving 11 on base in his 5 shutout innings. 3 times the bases were left loaded.

Sounded like Byers was the only truly dominant pitcher on the day. 2 perfect innings.

Them throwing short outings today makes me think they're making another start on the trip, and this was their bullpen day in between starts.

Shortstop continues to be the only trouble spot in an otherwise excellent defense.

Yeah our guys are on a strict limit. Cooper was only allowed 75 pitches against BW. Sega did not last 2 innings in his game against mount St. Joe's. But Sega did not play in the fall and has not thrown a pitch that meant anything since Aug 2. Houck did very well against Etta. But he ran out of pitches and the bull pen fell apart. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 19, 2013, 06:21:21 PM
Etta drops from 2 to 4 in this week's poll.  BW nearly cracked the top 25 (27th).  Mount and Berg tied 3 spots behind that with 41 pts each.  JCU also received a vote.  Let's hope the OAC season turns out to be as competitive as it's looking so far.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on March 20, 2013, 08:33:56 PM
Congrats to Marietta's Alex Toth being selected as OAC player of the week for his hitting and catching abilities.  He is currently leading the team in hitting average and was a gold glove winner  last year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 21, 2013, 03:22:24 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on March 20, 2013, 08:33:56 PM
Congrats to Marietta's Alex Toth being selected as OAC player of the week for his hitting and catching abilities.  He is currently leading the team in hitting average and was a gold glove winner  last year.

Hottest hitter in the universe, as they say on the radio haha.

But he made an error this year...what's with him? :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on March 21, 2013, 07:57:12 PM
 ;D yep 6th error in 3 years behind the plate, replace him!! Great performance from a middle infielder turned catcher between his freshman and sophomore years in college.  Outstanding work ethic.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2013, 09:48:37 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on March 21, 2013, 07:57:12 PM
;D yep 6th error in 3 years behind the plate, replace him!! Great performance from a middle infielder turned catcher between his freshman and sophomore years in college.  Outstanding work ethic.

It was his first since May 28, 2011. And he kept the pitchers without a wild pitch for a long time this year too.

Pretty amazing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2013, 11:58:54 AM
Mount has a DH at Witt Saturday then home DH with Witt (Sun) and W&J (Tue).  Should be interesting to see how they navigate this stretch with those 6 games leading up to Ott and Etta to open OAC play.  Carlino and Murzynski will go against Witt and then Ott (I'm assuming).  It will be a good test for the 5-6 guys no matter whether it's Witt or W&J.  Fingers crossed they can actually play these games in Alliance.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2013, 12:33:11 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2013, 11:58:54 AM
Mount has a DH at Witt Saturday then home DH with Witt (Sun) and W&J (Tue).  Should be interesting to see how they navigate this stretch with those 6 games leading up to Ott and Etta to open OAC play.  Carlino and Murzynski will go against Witt and then Ott (I'm assuming).  It will be a good test for the 5-6 guys no matter whether it's Witt or W&J.  Fingers crossed they can actually play these games in Alliance.

You'd think that's how it would be. The way Mount's schedule looks (and I assume other OAC teams are similar), there are 6 weekend conference dates.

And the way the weather is, if you get pushed back a day (or two) because of rain, you can still use your top guys and keep the weekend rotation. When I went into the military as a weather forecaster, I remember people with MC baseball joking that my experience with the program should have been good training for that. Schaly always had the Weather Channel on in the office during the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2013, 05:57:38 PM
Ott sweeps Plymouth St. today.  They're now 11-1 overall.  Even better news, Plymouth actually has a winning record!  Granted that might only be because they've been playing the Little Sisters of the Poor in FL with Ott, but at least they're beating them.

 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2013, 08:14:47 PM
Interesting development for Marietta. Byers throwing the first game of the 7-9 inning doubleheader against Huntingdon.

EDIT TO ADD: More interesting development. Alex Toth leaves the game in the first inning of the first game due to injury after a pop up he wasn't able to get to bounced up and hit him in the face.

EDIT TO ADD TO THE EDIT TO ADD: Apparently the first game wasn't a 7 inning game lol.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2013, 01:14:48 PM
Rough couple days for Mount.  Give up 2 in the bottom of the 7th to blow game 1 at Witt.  Muster only 3 hits and lose game 2 by a 4-2 final.  Then as I feared the games today were ppd due to weather/field conditions in Alliance.  With the snow coming I'm guessing W&J Tues. is in jeopardy as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 25, 2013, 11:36:55 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 22, 2013, 08:14:47 PM
Interesting development for Marietta. Byers throwing the first game of the 7-9 inning doubleheader against Huntingdon.

EDIT TO ADD: More interesting development. Alex Toth leaves the game in the first inning of the first game due to injury after a pop up he wasn't able to get to bounced up and hit him in the face.

EDIT TO ADD TO THE EDIT TO ADD: Apparently the first game wasn't a 7 inning game lol.

Toth was diving for the ball and missed it.  The ball hit the concrete and astroturf covered donut/walkway which surrounds home plate, and it hit him right above the eye, which broke the skin.  Don't know if he had to have stitches or had a concussion.  He had trouble tracking the ball, and the wind played some tricks with it (a silo shot).

Unfortunately I only got to see the first game before having to leave for a family function that evening.  Defensive troubles (E-6 late on a ROUTINE grounder, and a poorly misplayed popup early) were problematic  As were free passes (HBP and BB).  Byers looked pretty good on the hill for the most part.  Huntingdon's top pitcher was pretty good for about 5 innings and then ran into trouble.   

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 25, 2013, 12:43:09 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 25, 2013, 11:36:55 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 22, 2013, 08:14:47 PM
Interesting development for Marietta. Byers throwing the first game of the 7-9 inning doubleheader against Huntingdon.

EDIT TO ADD: More interesting development. Alex Toth leaves the game in the first inning of the first game due to injury after a pop up he wasn't able to get to bounced up and hit him in the face.

EDIT TO ADD TO THE EDIT TO ADD: Apparently the first game wasn't a 7 inning game lol.

Toth was diving for the ball and missed it.  The ball hit the concrete and astroturf covered donut/walkway which surrounds home plate, and it hit him right above the eye, which broke the skin.  Don't know if he had to have stitches or had a concussion.  He had trouble tracking the ball, and the wind played some tricks with it (a silo shot).

Unfortunately I only got to see the first game before having to leave for a family function that evening.  Defensive troubles (E-6 late on a ROUTINE grounder, and a poorly misplayed popup early) were problematic  As were free passes (HBP and BB).  Byers looked pretty good on the hill for the most part.  Huntingdon's top pitcher was pretty good for about 5 innings and then ran into trouble.

I think radio said he had stitches. Don't know about the concussion part.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2013, 04:50:58 PM
Mount's DH with W&J tomorrow has already been ppd.  Hopefully it warms up enough to melt the snow by Friday for Ott.  This weather is just miserable.  Staring out my office window and I'd think it was February not the last week of March!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 25, 2013, 08:19:34 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2013, 04:50:58 PM
Mount's DH with W&J tomorrow has already been ppd.  Hopefully it warms up enough to melt the snow by Friday for Ott.  This weather is just miserable.  Staring out my office window and I'd think it was February not the last week of March!

Marietta is already off as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BBFan62 on March 25, 2013, 08:58:37 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2013, 04:50:58 PM
Mount's DH with W&J tomorrow has already been ppd.  Hopefully it warms up enough to melt the snow by Friday for Ott.  This weather is just miserable.  Staring out my office window and I'd think it was February not the last week of March!
My son plays in Rochester, NY. We've already lost 7 games to snow. This past weekend was supposed to be the conference opener 9they play DH each Saturday & Sunday). The games were canceled. Tomorrow they will attempt to play 2 of the games. But that means the 2 starters for tomorrow won't be available for this weekend, whcih is Friday & Saturday due to Easter. Thus, it cost our #1 & #2 at least 2 starts so far. We're 4 -4, all games a result of our Florida trip.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2013, 11:00:49 AM
Quote from: BBFan62 on March 25, 2013, 08:58:37 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2013, 04:50:58 PM
Mount's DH with W&J tomorrow has already been ppd.  Hopefully it warms up enough to melt the snow by Friday for Ott.  This weather is just miserable.  Staring out my office window and I'd think it was February not the last week of March!
My son plays in Rochester, NY. We've already lost 7 games to snow. This past weekend was supposed to be the conference opener 9they play DH each Saturday & Sunday). The games were canceled. Tomorrow they will attempt to play 2 of the games. But that means the 2 starters for tomorrow won't be available for this weekend, whcih is Friday & Saturday due to Easter. Thus, it cost our #1 & #2 at least 2 starts so far. We're 4 -4, all games a result of our Florida trip.

I just checked the forecast in Alliance and there's a 30% chance of snow each of the next 3 days.  Friday, when the conference schedule begins, is supposed to be mid 40's and Saturday high 40's, but I don't know how playable the field will be if there's snow on it all the way up until then.  I'd think there are many schools in that boat.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2013, 11:05:04 AM
Not a banner week for the OAC in the poll.  Etta slips only one spot to #5, but BW and Mount both slide way down the ORV and Berg drops off completely.  The only bright spot is that Ott garnered a couple votes this week thanks to them piling up wins down south albeit against less than stellar competition. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 27, 2013, 03:16:20 PM
Interesting development as the Pioneers take the field against LaRoche today...

Brockmeier gets the start at short (as opposed to 1b where he normally plays).  Defense has been an ongoing issue at this position, and there has been very little to no offense generated from the two younger kids who have manned that spot to this point.  It will be interesting to see how Brock handles things defensively.

Also brings freshman Tim McCoy who has been hitting well of late into the lineup as an outfielder. 

Glad I'm watching this one on my radio...It's cold!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on March 27, 2013, 07:38:49 PM
Etta wins 8-5 over LaRoche this afternoon.  Great to see the return of Catcher Alex Toth after suffering a cut requiring three stitches under the eyebrow during the doubleheader Saturday.  Brockmeier goes 3 for 5 at the plate, scored twice, added a rbi, no errors in the field, and pitches 2 scoreless innings for the save.  After the game, he was spotted dragging the field and sweeping the bleachers. ;)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 28, 2013, 08:17:48 AM
I don't know that Brockmeier had a lot of defensive chances at short yesterday, and it will be interesting to see how this experiment pans out for the Pioneers.  Brockmeier is a tremendous athlete and a smart young man.  I remember talking to someone about him possibly playing short prior to the season, so this isn't a huge shock. 

OAC play starts Friday.  the d3baseball facebook page had a picture of the ONU field....covered in snow.  Uggh.  Has to be the coldest place in Ohio.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 28, 2013, 10:14:32 AM
Yeah ONU is coming down to OWU on the 30th after playing Marietta on the 29th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 28, 2013, 11:35:48 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 28, 2013, 08:17:48 AM
I don't know that Brockmeier had a lot of defensive chances at short yesterday, and it will be interesting to see how this experiment pans out for the Pioneers.  Brockmeier is a tremendous athlete and a smart young man.  I remember talking to someone about him possibly playing short prior to the season, so this isn't a huge shock. 

McCoy hitting when given his chance I think probably opened the door to trying it. But they had to try something at short...I thought they might try Bukiewicz but with McCoy starting well, moving Brock makes sense.

We'll see how it goes, but even if you get a .900 fielder and a .300 hitter that's more than has been gotten so far.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 28, 2013, 03:53:34 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on March 28, 2013, 10:14:32 AM
Yeah ONU is coming down to OWU on the 30th after playing Marietta on the 29th.

Not so fast, my friend. ONU/Marietta ppd and moved to 3/30. :(
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 28, 2013, 06:55:47 PM
Thanks Spence, Not sure when it changed. I see ONU has updated their schedule. OWU has not updated theirs. Not sure when they will make it up now. After this week OWU starts conference play.  They may be able to play some mid week games. I hope OWU picks up some games for Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2013, 07:36:10 AM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on March 28, 2013, 06:55:47 PM
Thanks Spence, Not sure when it changed. I see ONU has updated their schedule. OWU has not updated theirs. Not sure when they will make it up now. After this week OWU starts conference play.  They may be able to play some mid week games. I hope OWU picks up some games for Saturday.

Especially because it's supposed be mid/upper 50's and sunny here. Don't want to waste a day like that this year!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 29, 2013, 08:20:25 AM
Nope sure don't and like I said earlier not sure where we would fit these in after this week. I suppose they could cancel the ODU (D2) game and replace it with one of these. That may be better for SOS, but There is another Alum form sons school on that team and it would be neat so see us play against him and his team.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2013, 02:53:22 PM
Couple blow outs early.  Cap beats JCU 10-1 and Mount beats Ott 8-1 in the OAC openers.  Justin Hoying and Zach Carlino threw CG's for the respective winners.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 29, 2013, 07:49:51 PM
Berg wins 2 from Wilmington, 15-0 and 14-2. May also be some good news on the Chris Thomas front. 2 more weeks in a splint and he can start rehab. May still pitch yet this year. SR Tyler Fruhwirth wins the first game and SO Ryan Minteer gets the W in the 2nd game
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2013, 08:08:59 AM
JCU and Ott both come back and get a split. 14-6 for JCU.  7-3 for Ott. Mount left the bases loaded 3 times in the first 7 innings and then gave up 3 runs after that to put a 4-3 game out of reach.  To no one's surprise Meadows was a problem for the Raiders (3-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI).  He was also 2-3 in the opener.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2013, 03:07:07 PM
Musky drops game 1 to BW 5-3.  Havens goes the distance and allows 2 ER on just 3 hits.  Musky drops to 1-13 overall.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on March 30, 2013, 10:37:03 PM
Marietta over Ohio Northern big in both games today in Ada 13-4,  16-0.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 31, 2013, 01:11:24 AM
Alex Toth 6 for 9 in the doubleheader. He's now 23 for his last 40 with 9 doubles. Unbelievable year so far, let's hope he keeps it up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2013, 10:42:14 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 31, 2013, 01:11:24 AM
Alex Toth 6 for 9 in the doubleheader. He's now 23 for his last 40 with 9 doubles. Unbelievable year so far, let's hope he keeps it up.

The amazing thing is how much he's progressed offensively from year to year. His soph yr he was basically a bottom of the order guy that hit what .250ish?  Last year he improved and had a solid yr at the plate. Now he's really good.  A middle of the order guy. Good for him as I'm sure he's busted his butt to make that happen.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 31, 2013, 06:34:09 PM
He started his soph year (first year starting) 2 for 34 with 2 BB. Next stretch was 10 for 38 with 4BB. Rest of the season was 23 for 71 with 10 BB.

He's obviously a very hard worker, but I've also heard the coaches say he is just a very fast learner as well. You tell him something once and he's got it and he doesn't forget it.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 01, 2013, 08:13:31 AM
Toth is one of my favorite Pioneers.  He came in as a middle infielder and realized that he was not going to get on the field for a few years playing behind Saunders and Becker.  When Danny Jones graduated, there was a significant void behind the plate.  He knew it, and he learned how to be a catcher.  He worked very hard on the defensive aspect of the game and it became impossible to leave him on the bench.  He calls most of the pitches, and has handled the young staff fairly well so far.  He is a brick wall behind the plate which helps this young staff by knowing if they make a mistake he is likely going to keep the ball in front of him.  He has an absolute cannon for an arm.  Teams won't even try to run on him anymore. 

His story is just one of the reasons I love to follow the Pioneers.  Guys who come to work hard every day and earn their way.  All of these schools have young men like this.  These kids aren't top tier players coming out of high school.  They come in and work hard day after day and work to improve.  It doesn't just happen at Marietta, it happens all over D3. 



 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 01, 2013, 07:56:08 PM
I have stated very publicly that Alex Toth is my second favorite player behind only my son.  I would say he is by far the hardest working most humble player since Danny Jones.  His value to the team and pitchers the last three years cannot be measured with only stats.  He along with quite a few other players represent Marietta and Div III Baseball very well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 01, 2013, 09:46:58 PM
MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College baseball doubleheader at the University of Mount Union has been postponed until Wednesday (April 3). First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 02, 2013, 10:46:37 AM
ONU rescheduled 1 with OWU. They will play a game Thursday at OWU. Still one game to make up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 02, 2013, 07:26:19 PM
And after two DHs, everyone that's played both has lost. Marietta's sweep of ONU represents the only undefeated record in the conference.

I knew it was going to be competitive, but this is a little crazy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2013, 08:19:54 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 02, 2013, 07:26:19 PM
And after two DHs, everyone that's played both has lost. Marietta's sweep of ONU represents the only undefeated record in the conference.

I knew it was going to be competitive, but this is a little crazy.

Not only that, but the biggest "blowout" today was 6-2 in the 2nd Musky/Wilm game.  All close games today.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 02, 2013, 09:15:14 PM
In other news, is there some kind of subterranean rodent infestation at 23rd Street?

MC/Mount Union off for tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 02, 2013, 09:23:13 PM
MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College baseball doubleheader at the University of Mount Union has been postponed until Thursday (April 4). First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.?? ???
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on April 02, 2013, 09:42:32 PM
Looks like Marietta's Austin Blaski will pitch at Single-A Wisconsin for the Brewers to start the season. He should be fairly familiar with his new town. As many know, the D-III World Series is held at Wisconsin's home park, Fox Cities Stadium, in Grand Chute.

In related news, Etta's Mark Williams will start 2013 at Single-A Advanced Brevard County for the Brewers after pitching in Fox Cities Stadium last season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 03, 2013, 01:22:23 AM
Tim Saunders will be in the Florida State League with Williams, playing for the Daytona Cubs as he did part of last season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 04, 2013, 01:46:17 PM
Does anyone know what the reason for the delays at Mount Union was? Seems to have worked well for Mount getting their aces back for Marietta...and numerous other Ohio teams played in the meantime.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 04, 2013, 02:35:59 PM
Spence,
You have probably already have seen this but this is the reason according to Mount's web site.

The Ohio Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader between Mount Union and Marietta has been pushed back to Thursday, April 4 at 1 pm at 23rd Street Field in Alliance due to weather conditions.

The forecasted high temperature Wednesday is 39 degrees with a wind chill expected to put the temperature in the low 20's.

http://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/bsb/2012-13/releases/201303182u6ba2

We got a game in in Delaware on Weds. It was cold, but they still played.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 04, 2013, 02:38:09 PM
LOL seriously? That was the reason?

Whatever...that's bush league.

We played with a wind chill of 9 one year...in Florida.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 04, 2013, 02:45:33 PM
I agree, a little cold never hurt anyone.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 04, 2013, 02:49:39 PM
Becoming moot as Marietta's reliever blows any chance of a win in Game 1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 04, 2013, 02:57:20 PM
Yeah I was watching the live stats and he gave up a lot. The second reliever seems to be having issues as well. OWU is familiar with that. Happened to us in Forida when we played you guys. Good luck the rest of this game and game 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2013, 03:21:04 PM
Carlino and Mulvey both pitched pretty well it looked like.  That final is going to mislead some people if they don't do their homework.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 04, 2013, 03:33:04 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2013, 03:21:04 PM
Carlino and Mulvey both pitched pretty well it looked like.  That final is going to mislead some people if they don't do their homework.

Eh they were both decent. Both gave up more hits than innings though.

Seems like Mulvey is better on less rest. I think the long layoff hurt him and Bascom.

Still can't imagine postponing for two days because of above freezing temperatures. Seems shady.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 04, 2013, 06:33:16 PM
Byers throws a shutout and K's 11 in the nightcap.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2013, 08:15:37 AM
Forgot I wanted to say good job to BW beating Dayton this week. Cap also beat Witt yesterday which is a nice win for them.   

Mount has BW tomorrow. Starting the conference schedule Ott, Etta, BW definitely gives you an idea where they're at right away.  I found yesterday interesting strategically. Rather than throwing Carlino and Murzynski together they are holding Murzynski back. Clarke, who would have been the #5/6 starter at the outset, started against Etta.  He pitched very well for 6 innings (1 R) before faltering in the 7th.  I would think this obviously signals that Clarke is now at least the #4 starter.  With Havens going tomorrow I'll be interested to see if Murzynski goes against him or goes in game 2.  I'd throw him in game 2 not to avoid Havens as much as to keep him in a comfortable routine (throwing the 9).

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2013, 08:17:06 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 04, 2013, 06:33:16 PM
Byers throws a shutout and K's 11 in the nightcap.

Looked like he was absolutely cruising.  Is he their #1?  He seems to have shown signs of it. Scary that he's a freshman!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2013, 11:11:31 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2013, 08:17:06 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 04, 2013, 06:33:16 PM
Byers throws a shutout and K's 11 in the nightcap.

Looked like he was absolutely cruising.  Is he there #1?  He seems to have shown signs of it. Scary that he's a freshman!

I really am not sure. He threw the first game against ONU and was just OK. Obviously he's got ability...we don't often have freshman pitchers do this.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 05, 2013, 04:47:35 PM
Byers seems to be a bit of a mystery as far as his "class."  He transferred from a college in CT.  Hard to think he is a freshman, but that is what he is listed at on the official site.  Just don't know. 

I saw him pitch a couple of weeks ago against Huntingdon.  He has some good stuff.

Tomorrow should be "interesting" so see our #3 and #4 and whomever against Cap. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 05, 2013, 05:42:25 PM
Byers graduated HS in 2011. Here is a story about him.

http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/05/31/sports/doc4de5bfc304b69601220423.txt

QuoteByers, a three-year starter and two-time all-NCCC player, is headed for Division II powerhouse Mount Olive College (Mount Olive, N.C.) after this season, East Granby coach Bob Bromage said. The Trojans are currently playing in the National Finals. They won the national title in 2008.

He does not show up on their stats for last year.

http://www.moctrojans.com/sports/bsb/2011-12/teams/mountolive?sort=ab&pos=h&tmpl=teaminfo-network-monospace-template


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2013, 07:26:45 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 05, 2013, 04:47:35 PM
Byers seems to be a bit of a mystery as far as his "class."  He transferred from a college in CT.  Hard to think he is a freshman, but that is what he is listed at on the official site.  Just don't know. 

I saw him pitch a couple of weeks ago against Huntingdon.  He has some good stuff.

Tomorrow should be "interesting" so see our #3 and #4 and whomever against Cap.

I have not seen this reported anywhere, or been told by anyone, but I *think* he may have redshirted at his previous school (where redshirting for athletic reasons is legal because it is a scholarship program), so he is a freshman for Marietta.

Once I learned about Byers' background and experience, I felt pretty good about him being able to contribute early in his career.

Yeah, you wonder if Bascom pitched himself out of the starting nod, or if they chalk it up to the long layoff he had due to the delays. I think some guys need to throw often, maybe he's one of them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2013, 07:28:47 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on April 05, 2013, 05:42:25 PM
Byers graduated HS in 2011. Here is a story about him.

http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/05/31/sports/doc4de5bfc304b69601220423.txt

QuoteByers, a three-year starter and two-time all-NCCC player, is headed for Division II powerhouse Mount Olive College (Mount Olive, N.C.) after this season, East Granby coach Bob Bromage said. The Trojans are currently playing in the National Finals. They won the national title in 2008.

He does not show up on their stats for last year.

http://www.moctrojans.com/sports/bsb/2011-12/teams/mountolive?sort=ab&pos=h&tmpl=teaminfo-network-monospace-template

You found the same stuff I found in Feburary. He was on their roster last year, but did not play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 05, 2013, 07:54:36 PM
Yeah, didn't take long. I found last years roster, but no palyers were listed
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2013, 08:03:53 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on April 05, 2013, 07:54:36 PM
Yeah, didn't take long. I found last years roster, but no palyers were listed

Just googled 2012 Mount Olive Jason Byers, and the first hit refers to him but when you click on it, it's been erased.

When the new roster is loaded onto the MC site, I always google the new guys to see what I can find out. I used to try to find out who had committed before the roster posted, but that became too much. I miss the first few days of fall when you see the new guys for the first time and how the veterans have worked to improve themselves over the summer. Wish I was still in town for that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2013, 01:48:35 PM
Not a good start for the Raiders.  They go with Murzynski opposite Havens in game 1.  4 walks and a hit batter already for Murzynski in the 3rd inning.  4-0 BW.  Not good.  Need him to settle down and start chipping away at that lead.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2013, 01:51:34 PM
And in the time I typed that there were a couple hits, another hit batter and two IF throwing errors.  8-0 now.  They better get their heads on straight and make sure they get a split today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2013, 02:12:31 PM
Capital trails 6-0 at Marietta, but they did just turn a triple play (5-4-3).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2013, 05:39:44 PM
Marietta gets complete games from Evan Brockmeier and Mike Finlan and plays 16 innings of errorless baseball in a sweep of Capital.

Big performances with a trip to W&J tomorrow for the 5th game in 4 days.

Looks likely to be Marietta and B-W tied atop the league after today unless something changes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2013, 06:46:30 PM
7 walks, 2 HBP, 5 errors, 2 passed balls....the 2nd game was worse than the first.  Mount just dug themselves a hole.  Long way to go thankfully.

10-5 and 13-7 BW were the finals, BTW. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2013, 06:48:57 PM
Whoa.  Musky swept Berg. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 06, 2013, 09:40:40 PM
The triple play was pretty interesting. The ball was hit right to the third base bag, and was not difficult to turn. The ball arrived at first well in time.  Have not seen one of those at Don Schaly stadium in over 22 years of watching the pios.

Muskingum seeping berg was a very interesting development.  So was onu splitting with otterbein.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 07, 2013, 03:51:03 AM
There may be a long way to go but I sure wouldn't want to be 2-4 in this league and trying to claw into the top 4.

Anything more than 3 losses the rest of the way is probably not good enough, and it could be 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 07, 2013, 12:12:22 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 07, 2013, 03:51:03 AM
There may be a long way to go but I sure wouldn't want to be 2-4 in this league and trying to claw into the top 4.

Anything more than 3 losses the rest of the way is probably not good enough, and it could be 2.

There was a 3 way tie for the 4th spot in the league tournament last year at 9-9 so 4 losses isn't deadly. And to help anybody out it looks like BW may continue beating your competition and they don't qualify for the top 4. Admittedly it isn't a position I would want to be in either.

Berg was not good yesterday at Muskingum. Made a pitcher with a 6+ ERA for a team that had only won 2 games look like Cy Young in the first game, getting only 3 hits and wasting a pretty good pitching performance by Tyler Fruhwirth. Other than a couple of attempted bunts, Berg only had 3 ground balls in the entire game.

In the 2nd game they finally remembered how to hit, but the pitching didn't hold up their end. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 7th the bullpen gave up 4. They rallied to tie it in top of 8th with 5. After a go ahead run in the top of the 10th, Muskingum rallied for 2 in the bottom for a walk off.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 07, 2013, 01:45:19 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 07, 2013, 12:12:22 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 07, 2013, 03:51:03 AM
There may be a long way to go but I sure wouldn't want to be 2-4 in this league and trying to claw into the top 4.

Anything more than 3 losses the rest of the way is probably not good enough, and it could be 2.

There was a 3 way tie for the 4th spot in the league tournament last year at 9-9 so 4 losses isn't deadly. And to help anybody out it looks like BW may continue beating your competition and they don't qualify for the top 4. Admittedly it isn't a position I would want to be in either.

Two of those 9-9 teams didn't get into the tournament. My math wasn't the best though. I would figure usually the cutoff is going to be 10-8, I think it has been 11-7 before though. And obviously, it's been 9-9 as well.

B-W being out is unfortunate. They look to be a solid contender. But you're right, that will end up being a break for someone.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2013, 09:00:25 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 07, 2013, 01:45:19 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 07, 2013, 12:12:22 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 07, 2013, 03:51:03 AM
There may be a long way to go but I sure wouldn't want to be 2-4 in this league and trying to claw into the top 4.

Anything more than 3 losses the rest of the way is probably not good enough, and it could be 2.

There was a 3 way tie for the 4th spot in the league tournament last year at 9-9 so 4 losses isn't deadly. And to help anybody out it looks like BW may continue beating your competition and they don't qualify for the top 4. Admittedly it isn't a position I would want to be in either.

Two of those 9-9 teams didn't get into the tournament. My math wasn't the best though. I would figure usually the cutoff is going to be 10-8, I think it has been 11-7 before though. And obviously, it's been 9-9 as well.

B-W being out is unfortunate. They look to be a solid contender. But you're right, that will end up being a break for someone.

Spence is right in that 2-4 is definitely not a spot you want to be in.  No question about that.  But if I'm being honest with myself about Mount (and I always try to be) given that their schedule now appears to be VERY front loaded (Ott, Etta, BW) I would have been happy coming out of that 3-3.  So coming out 2-4 isn't ideal, but also isn't the end of the world.  The problem is that you just removed a helluva lot of your margin for error already.  You CAN'T get swept by JCU or Berg now.  You NEED to go 5-1 against Wilm/Musky/ONU.  None of those things are easy given the competitiveness we're seeing this year.

But beyond any of that I'm far more concerned with just how the Raiders are playing right now.  Their starting pitching is really scuffling.  Outside of Carlino, who has been excellent, the other guys who have started games have a combined ERA a hair under 6.00.  That's just not going to get it done.  And I haven't seen the box scores from Westminster today (a split) but they gave up 7 runs in both games today.  Their offense is too inconsistent to make up for giving up a half dozen runs on a regular basis.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2013, 09:04:09 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 07, 2013, 12:12:22 PM
Berg was not good yesterday at Muskingum. Made a pitcher with a 6+ ERA for a team that had only won 2 games look like Cy Young in the first game, getting only 3 hits and wasting a pretty good pitching performance by Tyler Fruhwirth. Other than a couple of attempted bunts, Berg only had 3 ground balls in the entire game.

In the 2nd game they finally remembered how to hit, but the pitching didn't hold up their end. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 7th the bullpen gave up 4. They rallied to tie it in top of 8th with 5. After a go ahead run in the top of the 10th, Muskingum rallied for 2 in the bottom for a walk off.

Motorman, it sounds like Berg is having those same consistency issues on offense that Mount has had.  Honestly, I'm not sure that anyone aside from Etta has they type of lineup that you can truly count on to score in bunches consistently.  BW has a pretty good lineup too, but not on Etta's level IMO.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 07, 2013, 10:04:38 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2013, 09:04:09 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 07, 2013, 12:12:22 PM
Berg was not good yesterday at Muskingum. Made a pitcher with a 6+ ERA for a team that had only won 2 games look like Cy Young in the first game, getting only 3 hits and wasting a pretty good pitching performance by Tyler Fruhwirth. Other than a couple of attempted bunts, Berg only had 3 ground balls in the entire game.

In the 2nd game they finally remembered how to hit, but the pitching didn't hold up their end. Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 7th the bullpen gave up 4. They rallied to tie it in top of 8th with 5. After a go ahead run in the top of the 10th, Muskingum rallied for 2 in the bottom for a walk off.
Motorman, it sounds like Berg is having those same consistency issues on offense that Mount has had.  Honestly, I'm not sure that anyone aside from Etta has they type of lineup that you can truly count on to score in bunches consistently.  BW has a pretty good lineup too, but not on Etta's level IMO.

If you look at league rankings, Berg's problems are obvious. They are first in team ERA and eighth in team batting average. There is a real lack of situational hitting. They aren't going to bludgeon anybody so every run is precious. They cannot afford to get a runner to 3rd with no outs and then not score that run. They put no pressure on a defense to make plays when you only hit 3 ground balls in a game, especially when it is still cold out and wind is blowing in. It is a testament to the pitching depth that they can be anywhere near the top of the league in ERA while losing their top 2 pitchers for close to a month.

They started the OAC season last year 3-3 after being swept by Muskingum so 2-4 doesn't look deadly, but they really need to step it up to come close to the charge they made in the 2nd half of the season last year.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 08, 2013, 12:45:54 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2013, 09:00:25 PM

Spence is right in that 2-4 is definitely not a spot you want to be in.  No question about that.  But if I'm being honest with myself about Mount (and I always try to be) given that their schedule now appears to be VERY front loaded (Ott, Etta, BW) I would have been happy coming out of that 3-3. 

You're right about this. I would definitely say that of the 2-4 teams, Mount is in the best shape. Plus they got a win over Marietta that could end up being valuable.

Everyone looks like they've got some pitching issues of some kind.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 10, 2013, 08:18:31 AM
Marietta's game against W&J exposed where this team is weakest.  Pitching depth. 

They allowed 12 total walks (one intentional) over the course of the game.  If you score 10 runs, you should win the game. 

Granted it was Marietta's 5th game in 4 days, and we were at the end of the rope as far as pitching was concerned, but still.  At some point in a tournament, you could be playing your fourth or fifth game in as short of a time frame, and you have to have someone come up with something. 

From what I've seen, the Marietta rotation looks something like this.

1.  Byers (fr)
2.  Mulvey (sr)
3.  Brockmeier (sr)
4.  Finlan (Fr)

The loss of Langdon to injury has been as big of a story as anything.  The rest of the staff isnt yet where it needs to be to make a significant post season run.  Coach Brewer had mentioned a freshman prior to the W&J game (didn't give a name on the radio) who had been throwing well, and it will be interesting to see if he works his way into the lineup either today or Saturday in Tiffin. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 10, 2013, 09:41:06 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 10, 2013, 08:18:31 AM
Coach Brewer had mentioned a freshman prior to the W&J game (didn't give a name on the radio) who had been throwing well, and it will be interesting to see if he works his way into the lineup either today or Saturday in Tiffin.

I'm really interested to see how he plays the next two series. The next two weekday dates are at home and weekends on the road against top-4 possibles.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2013, 03:07:58 PM
Looks like a lot of ppd games today. It's warm and pretty sunny here so Ott is playing. They're down 3-0 to Wilm in the 6th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2013, 07:59:24 PM
Ouch.  Wilm blows a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 7th.  Meadows hits a walk-off bases clearing double to win it 4-3.

As crazy as this sounds...would Meadows be the front runner to be both Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year today?  His offensive numbers are sick.  .464 BA, 5 HR, 13 2B, 30 RBI, 31 R, .582 OBP, .798 Slug.  But his pitching numbers are pretty darn good.  5-0, 2.25 ERA, 36 IP, 38 K, .237 OBA.  Those are going to land him near the top of the conference in a lot of categories right now I'd think. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 10, 2013, 09:29:26 PM
I think it's too early for frontrunners.

But MC, BW and Otterbein are threatening to make it a race for 4th with everyone else. OTT has JCU this weekend, BW has Wilmington to go to 7-1. Carroll is the only team with less than 4 losses right now at 4-2 but facing Mount Union and Otterbein in a 3 day span.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 11, 2013, 08:34:01 AM
Muskingum is not a good baseball team right now. They couldn't hit a barn door with a boat paddle last night.

Marietta hits bad pitching really well.  (And even though the wind was blowing hard, the three home runs hit in the second game were stroked out without wind assistance.)  3 HRs and 4 Triples in the second game last night.  18 total hits in game 2.  28 hits and 28 runs in the two game set.     

Water is wet. 

Solid outings by both Mulvey and Byers.

I'm wondering if Carithers was the guy Coach Brewer was speaking of, as he pitched pretty well for an inning. 

Jordan Grilliot is hitting the ball really well right now, and last night it must have looked like a beach ball.  Alex Toth continues to amaze.  He has been ridiculously good behind the plate, and now he is having an incredible year on the offensive side of things.  Perhaps the biggest suprise, offensively, is the hitting of Brian Gregorich.  He was the "weaker link"in the batting order a year ago, and now is hitting at an impressive clip.  Hopper seems to be struggling a bit at the plate, and Brock's numbers have not been particularly impressive yet. 

Saturday's series with 'berg is a big series for both schools.  Both really need to win 2 to achieve their goals.  There is probably more pressure on 'Berg given they are at 2-4 in league play.  Slipping to 2-6 would put them in a very difficut spot.

MC's next Four OAC series are all against the group of "contenders":
Saturday @'Berg
Tues vs. Ott
Next Sat @JCU
The following Sat: vs. BW

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 11, 2013, 01:02:17 PM
Check your private messages, EttaFan.

Also, question for well really anyone that can answer it.

All OAC games are canxed for today. If that happens again tomorrow (which is possible), what takes precedence for Saturday...the scheduled games, or the postponed ones?

Could be worse...Minneapolis is expecting 6-10 inches of snow today and tonight and then that has to melt.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 11, 2013, 01:57:28 PM
Marietta had this problem last year or the year before.  The scheduled games for Saturday would likely take place on Saturday, and then the makeups would be pushed to Sunday or perhaps Monday (I seem to remember John Carroll wouldn't play on Sundays????).  Marietta, had a twinbill with Capital(?) get pushed all over the place due to weather/exams etc. and they playe around the other league games on the schedule. 

Watch, I will end up being wrong.  It will only be the 12th time or so today.  ;D

'Berg and Northern slated for Sunday.....

Now if Saturday's gams are not playable at Peaceful valley, do Saturday's games get pushed to Monday?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 11, 2013, 08:33:12 PM
Congrats to the Schaly family and the pioneer program for Coach Schaly's induction to the national college baseball hall of fame.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2013/4/11/BB_0411134754.aspx?path=baseball (http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2013/4/11/BB_0411134754.aspx?path=baseball)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2013, 03:28:57 PM
Mount takes game 1 at JCU 4-2.  Carlino improves to 5-1 with a CG.

BW beats up on Cap 9-2.  Havens is an impressive 7-1 now. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2013, 05:39:17 PM
Headed toward a couple splits.  Cap leads BW 10-3 in the 9th.  JCU up 5-2 on Mount in the 7th. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 12, 2013, 07:55:53 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 11, 2013, 01:57:28 PM
Marietta had this problem last year or the year before.  The scheduled games for Saturday would likely take place on Saturday, and then the makeups would be pushed to Sunday or perhaps Monday (I seem to remember John Carroll wouldn't play on Sundays????).  Marietta, had a twinbill with Capital(?) get pushed all over the place due to weather/exams etc. and they playe around the other league games on the schedule. 

Watch, I will end up being wrong.  It will only be the 12th time or so today.  ;D

'Berg and Northern slated for Sunday.....

Now if Saturday's gams are not playable at Peaceful valley, do Saturday's games get pushed to Monday?


Berg vs Marietta off for tomorrow. Heard there was a pond in the outfield and the creek is expected to flood.

The scheduled games do take precedence, would throw somebody else's schedule out of whack if they didn't. Think it is up to the 2 teams to agree on a makeup date as soon as possible.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 12, 2013, 09:28:48 PM
Heck berg might not play all weekend if the field is that bad. I'm sure the pioneers would be happy to have them travel down to Marietta where the field is in fantastic shape.  ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2013, 10:32:49 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2013, 05:39:17 PM
Headed toward a couple splits.  Cap leads BW 10-3 in the 9th.  JCU up 5-2 on Mount in the 7th.

Both BW/Cap and MUC/JCU split.  The Mount offense struggled in game 2.  2 runs, 5 singles, 13 strikeouts in 9 innings.  With JCU a split is holding serve I guess, but they need a sweep soon.  ONU tomorrow would be a good chance to get to 5-5.  They really need to assert themselves and get some confidence by putting together a good DH.  They're 7-9 when Carlino doesn't start.  That needs to improve in the 2nd half of the season obviously.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 12, 2013, 11:48:14 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 12, 2013, 09:28:48 PM
Heck berg might not play all weekend if the field is that bad. I'm sure the pioneers would be happy to have them travel down to Marietta where the field is in fantastic shape.  ;D

That's what they're doing in Wisconsin. Stevens Point is apparently going to play at Whitewater because of field availability. La Crosse is probably under 6 inches of snow right now so who knows what they'll do.

This spring has just been a complete mess in the north.

Hopefully Heidelberg's field doesn't get flooded.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2013, 05:39:04 PM
ONU takes the opener at Berg 4-3.  They're knotted up at 3-3 in the 8th of game 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 14, 2013, 06:09:01 PM
Berg won the second to get the split.

Minteer and Huber pitched and so will be unlikely to see action the next two days. IMO Heidelberg really needed a sweep out of this.

They more or less have to get at least two wins against MC and B-W, with them probably throwing their best. Anything less put them with 8-9 losses and Mount and John Carroll still to come.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2013, 08:06:34 AM
Big sweep yesterday for JCU. They surrender just 3 runs in the DH.  Cydrus and Collier went for Ott so they'll need Meadows to throw well at Etta tomorrow otherwise they could go from 6-2 to 6-6 in 72 hrs.

Mount is at ONU today in a make up. Price threw a CG against Berg yesterday so the Raiders need to take advantage. It'll be Murzynski and (?) today. Bekelesky?  Pryor?  Someone else?  Whoever it is today would be a great day to sweep, get to 5-5, and have some momentum for Cap tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2013, 03:41:30 PM
Bekelesky gives up 4 in the 1st (1 earned) and then puts up 4 goose eggs after that.  Mount battles back to tie it and still tied in the 9th they hang a 6 spot to go up 10-4.  Looking like they should take game 1 and have Murzynski in a now shortened to 7 innings game 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 15, 2013, 06:14:28 PM
Heidelberg gets a home split against Marietta, 6-2 and 7-11.

Byers and Mulvey were the starters and threw all but 1/3 of an inning, so seems likely to be Brockmeier and Finlan against Otterbein.

Looking like a melee for 5th. Basically everyone except Wilmington is in it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2013, 07:54:21 PM
Mount gets a sweep in Ada to pull to 5-5. Cap tomorrow hopefully with Carlino going. Time to make their move.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 16, 2013, 01:34:36 PM
Looks like everything is ppd until tomorrow. Full slate tomorrow and Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 16, 2013, 02:19:52 PM
Wonder what this does to Marietta's non-con game against Denison...whether they'll play it Thursday or wait until a later date.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 16, 2013, 04:03:07 PM
Thursday's forecast looks poor.

I would also guess Brock and Finlan for the twinbill against Ott, need to win those two at home.

Really don't have a good feel for this Pioneer team.  The lack of really good pitching (hate to use the word dominant) is troublesome as we go down the stretch.  I still think they make the tournament, the next two series against Ott and JCU will be very telling and very important for league standings. If they can win those 4, they should be in really good shape to host the touranment (since BW is a not in the post season).  Split those and the league race is a hot mess down the stretch.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 16, 2013, 05:49:39 PM
Closing with 6 of 8 at home and the last two against Wilmington has me feeling pretty good about things. Some pretty good opponents before that, though. obviously.

B-W has 3 straight road dates once they make up against Heidelberg. Ott has 3 straight at home following the MC DH, but already were swept by JCU so that could hurt in a tiebreak, plus one of their home series is against B-W. Sweeping Otterbein go a long way toward eliminating them as a competitor for the top spot.

The B-W DH looks to be one where everyone will be available, meaning Brock and Finlan could be bullpen options.

Dominant is certainly not a word I would use to describe this staff at this time. They're effective, for the most part, but MC batters have more strikeouts than pitchers.

I think Mulvey pitched better than it looks from the box score against Heidelberg. We're spoiled after the last 2 years, but I think Byers and Mulvey will have MC in most games. I'm still hoping for a couple of so-far little used (or unused even) freshmen to step up and provide some depth and bullpen options.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2013, 11:11:03 AM
While I agree with you guys that Etta lacks a dominant arm I still think they're the most complete team.  I think their lineup is the class of conference.  And while they lack a Blaski/Gasser/Williams anchoring the rotation they do appear to be very solid as you'd expect.  Beyond that, I don't think anyone has what we'd dub a dominant pitching staff this year.  Everyone else has flaws somewhere.  Ott struggles offensively (.257 in OAC play).  Berg struggles offensively as well.  My concerns with Mount are well documented.  Honestly JCU is probably the most complete team outside of Etta IMO.  The great thing for us as fans is that without a dominant team the race to make the tourney and then the tourney itself should be great fun.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2013, 01:14:58 PM
I was looking at JCU's stats yesterday.  their pitching staff has some impressive numbers, and it is mostly guys not named Jim Spagna (who was their ace last year).  A staff ERA of 3.67 and oppBA of .259 will make anyone sit up and take note.  Their #2 and #3 (by innings pitched) both have sub 3.0 ERA's.  O'Brien pitched against OTT, has allowed 3 total runs in 24 innings (5th on the team in IP).  His ERA is 0.74! Yowza!

Offensively the streaks are hitting well at .328, which is also solid. If there is an area of concern it would be defense, is they are fielding only .948.

JCU has surprised me a little this year with as strong as they are.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 17, 2013, 02:01:11 PM
I thought they would be pretty good. Doring is IMO their x factor. If he throws strikes, he can be really tough to hit. I was thinking they had a good chance to make the tournament. They're probably a little better than I thought, even.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2013, 02:10:44 PM
Mount and Cap are tied 1-1 heading to the bottom of the 5th.  This game is humming along as Carlino has set Cap down 1-2-3 in 3 of the 5 innings so far.  Throw in that he and Finchum have yet to walk a guy and they're cruising along in Alliance.

Also, great to see Thomas back for Berg today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 17, 2013, 02:21:57 PM
Kind of surprised Carlino got the call today rather than Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2013, 02:57:16 PM
Mathis hits a walk-off bases loaded single in the bottom of the 7th to win it 2-1.  Carlino goes all 7.  He's now 6-1. 

Spence, I don't know why, but I assumed he was going today.  Hesse usually doesn't mess with the rotation once he has it set.  If it's an OAC game and he's ready I assume he's throwing.  I see your logic though with it being Berg Saturday and the schedule falling that those last 3 DH are Sat, Sat, Sat so you can essentially set your 1-2 on a nice set schedule coming down the stretch (weather cooperating, of course). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 17, 2013, 03:32:50 PM
Well, there's going to be a long break in there at some point regardless.

I guess it worked out for them since they needed a good pitching performance today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2013, 05:35:54 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 17, 2013, 03:32:50 PM
Well, there's going to be a long break in there at some point regardless.

I guess it worked out for them since they needed a good pitching performance today.

Exactly. Now he won't start until the 27th I'd guess.  So there was going to have to be a long layoff somewhere.

They got the sweep. 4-1 final in game 2. Only 5 hits, but they made them count and Clarke made them stand up (7.1 IP, 1 R).  Back to back sweeps puts them at 7-5 in the OAC. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 17, 2013, 08:04:54 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2013, 05:35:54 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 17, 2013, 03:32:50 PM
Well, there's going to be a long break in there at some point regardless.

I guess it worked out for them since they needed a good pitching performance today.

Exactly. Now he won't start until the 27th I'd guess.  So there was going to have to be a long layoff somewhere.

They got the sweep. 4-1 final in game 2. Only 5 hits, but they made them count and Clarke made them stand up (7.1 IP, 1 R).  Back to back sweeps puts them at 7-5 in the OAC.

I think Mount's in pretty good shape now and as long as they get 1 in Tiffin are in really good shape. Muskingum and Wilmington to close and Carlino in two of those games.

Otterbein's season is probably going to come down to the DH against B-W. And this Saturday will determine whether Mount and Otterbein will be following a group of 3 at the top, or whether JCU will be joining them in the fray and whether Heidelberg can get a sweep and make it a party.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on April 17, 2013, 08:10:53 PM
Marietta sweeps Otterbein today.  5-1  10-1 great pitching for Marietta Brockmeier gives up 2 hits in 7 and Finlin gives up 4 hits in 9 innings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2013, 08:45:37 PM
Brock was stellar on the hill today. Stellar. Three base runners total. One guy reached on an error a single and the "mistake" in the 6th. 

Finlan was also stellar. One mistake to Wes Meadows who crushed it out of the park. Neither pitcher walked a batter. Neither Finlan or Brock faced more than four batters in any one inning.

Mike Fulton pitched the ninth facing the minimum.

Meadows had one hit,a big one, in both games. It was not his best day at the plate.

IF Marietta can sweep JCU on Saturday I think it will be very difficult for anyone to catch them. They would open up a four game lead over JCU with bw and lowly wilmington left on the slate. Big series for both the steaks and the pioneers this saturday.  A sweep will be a very tall order.

Mar 10-2 (jcu, bw, wilm)
Bw 9-3 (Onu, mar,ott) ineligible for post season
Jcu 8-4 (mar, Berg, onu)
Mount 7-5 (Berg, wilm,musk)
Ott 6-6 (Musk,cap,bw)
Berg 5-7 (Mount, jcu, cap)
Musk 5-7 (ott,Onu,mount)

I would say cap, onu and wilm are out of the hunt.

Berg really NEEDS a sweep over mount or JCU. 9-9 may not be "enough" to get in to the final four.  is their pitching going to get healthy in time?

Mount is in good shape after their series with 'berg. Muskingum, while in the hunt now won't be for very long. They are not good.

Ott needs back to back sweeps against muskingum and cap. That gets them over .500 in the league and a good shot at spot 4.

My prediction down the stretch.

1. Mar (14-4)
2. Jcu (12-6)
3. Mount (12-6)
4. Ott (10-8)
5. Berg (9-9)



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 18, 2013, 01:59:16 PM
Some Strength of Schedule Numbers from the D3Baseball site for the conference leaders...

Team   -   In Region win Pct. - NCAA SOS - National Rank
Marietta - .810 - .569 - 27
BW - .714 - .490 - 261
JCU - .619 - .507 - 201
Mount Union - .583 - .520- 157
Otterbein - .533 - .476 - 293
Heidelberg - .500 - .559 - 46

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 18, 2013, 07:18:17 PM
I cut out early and stopped at Ott today. Way too nice to be inside. Not a pretty game. Witt scored in every inning except the 9th.  The only pitcher I recognized was Frey and he was having control issues so he didn't throw long.  Witt was much better with the bats than Ott. Very few hard hit balls out of the Cards lineup today.  But it was beautiful out, field looked amazing so I can't complain for April in Ohio.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 19, 2013, 08:12:12 AM
For a team who started out at 13-2 in their first 15 games against pretty weak competition, they have since gone 6-10 in their last 16 when the level of competition improved. 

They combined for 2 runs and 6 total hits in 16 innings against Marietta (who used their #3 and #4 starters).  I know I was one who was "fooled" by the wins and losses in their early season triumps thinking this was a quality team who was a legitimate contender to be in the hunt for the top spot in the league.  They are not very good. 

Now is when the season gets really fun.  The pressure gets turned up a notch. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 19, 2013, 08:26:42 AM
They just don't have much outside of Meadows.  Harkenrider and Linder are not having the same kind of year they did last year and they need them to.  Ashbrook has shown some good power so that's been a nice addition.  But as I mentioned a few days ago they're hitting .257 in OAC play. That's not strong.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 19, 2013, 12:09:06 PM
Marietta has picked up a game Sunday against PSU-Behrend at noon. Usually a decently challenging opponent. I would expect some schedule additions in the next couple of weeks. MC is about 4-5 games behind I think.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 20, 2013, 03:52:48 PM
Berg takes game 1 in a shutout 6-0. Mount barely even threatened to score with just 4 hits and not many scoring chances.  Not promising. They need to wake up the bats and give Murzynski some runs in game 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 20, 2013, 04:06:31 PM
3 unearned runs in the bottom of the first. Reeeeally need to wake up quickly now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 20, 2013, 05:38:56 PM
Ott is taking care of business.  They move to 8-6.

Heidelberg is taking care of business. If anyone was in a "must win" position it was them. They almost have to win 6 straight to make the tourney.  2 down 4 to go. Best case scenario, 11-7.  Tough set with jcu coming up.

The losses hurt mount. The best case for them is to be 11-7, which is likely. They would lose the tie breaker to 'berg. If ott finishes strongly with 4 wins they would be out. I would have to study the three way tie scenarios if ott also finishes 11-7.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 20, 2013, 08:09:42 PM
Bad day in Tiffin.  Get swept and not even competitive. They were down 15-0 in the 2nd game!  You get shut down in game 1 and then get blown out in game 2?  Not good. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 20, 2013, 10:54:48 PM
Sorry Dr, but for the first time in a while it was a good day in TIffin. Gotta think Berg is going to be a tough out if they make it to the tournament, and with the pitching getting healthy that looks like a better probabilty now. The injuries they had to the pitching staff would have devastated anybody else in the league, yet they still lead in ERA despite missing 2 of their best pitchers for nearly a month each. The hitting seems to be rounding into shape as the season nears the end and the defense has improved greatly with Jordan Martin moving to 3B. They are exactly where they were at this point last season, 7-7 in the conference and I think they have an excellent chance to duplicate last year's 11-7 conference record with the pitching they have available.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 21, 2013, 05:53:25 PM
Marietta splits at John Carroll, 2-1 and 2-3 in 11 innings.

Great pitching all day, not great defense all day. MC commits an uncharacteristic 5 errors.

This more or less makes it a battle for two spots in the conference tournament, I think.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 21, 2013, 06:50:14 PM
This is going to be a fun race to the line to see how the final four are gong to end up. It could easily be Marietta at the top and a four teams all knotted up at 11-7 for three spots.

JCU and Heidelberg is a huge matchup for both teams next week and should be a good one. A JCU sweep probably eliminates 'berg. A berg sweep makes things interesting. A spit and JCU locks up a spot and puts Coach Palm in a very difficult spot. A lot is riding on this one.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 21, 2013, 07:28:41 PM
Marietta doesn't have it won yet. B-W may not be eligible for the tournament but they're a pretty good ballclub and Community Day should see two solid baseball teams do battle.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 21, 2013, 08:25:44 PM
Completely agree about bw. It won't be an easy series by any stretch.   

Marietta 11-3 (BW and WILM)
BW 10-4 (@MAR and @OTT)
JCU 9-5 (HEID and ONU)
OTT 8-6 (CAP and BW)
MOUNT 7-7  (@WILM and @MUSK)
HEID 7-7 (@JCU and @CAP)

The race for the tournament is a HOT MESS. 

So what happens if there is a three way tie, or even a four way tie,  for one of those two spots (which is very possible with Otterbein, Mount Union, JCU and Heidelberg)?  What has to happen to make this happen?  Heidelberg wins out and finishes 11-7.  With that result, JCU goes 2-2 in their last four, and finishes 11-7.  Mount wins out and goes 11-7.  Otterbein wins three of four and finishes 11-7.

From the handbook...
If more than two teams end up with the same winning percentage, the won-loss record
of each team vs. all the other tied teams will be considered. The team within the tied
group with the most wins will receive the highest seed, the team with the 2nd most
wins receives the 2nd highest seed, etc. If a tie still exists within this group, only
games played against the other still-tied team(s) will be considered.


4 way tie.

          Ott         HEID        MOUNT    JCU  Total Record
OTT     -            2-0           1-1        0-2           3-3
HEID    0-2         -             2-0        2-0             4-2
MOunt   1-1       0-2          -            1-1            2-4
JCU      2-0        0-2           1-1         -             3-3

If this happens, Mount stays home.  Heidelberg is the #2 seed.  JCU the three and Otterbein the 4.

A three way tie between JCU, Berg, and Mount becomes interesting too....

           Jcu   Heid   Mount
JCU       -      0-2    1-1   1-3
HEID     2-0   -      2-0    4-0
MOUNT   1-1  0-2    -      1-3

Heidelberg comes out on top in this scenario. and JCU and Mount remained tied.  Then they start from the top down to break the tie.  Both split against Marietta.  JCU split with BW and Mount was swept.  Mount loses the tiebreaker to JCU. 

So the Raider nation really needs to win 4, and then HOPE 'Berg loses at least one of their last four games OR hope that Otterbein finishes worse than 11-7. 

Heidelberg almost has to win out or hope for a train wreck in Westerville.  A two way tie with otterbein gets broken in favor of Otterbein. 

JCU should make the tournament barring a complete and total collapse (losing more than two of their last four).

Going to be a fun weekend for scoreboard watching!

 


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2013, 11:14:19 AM
I'm definitely heading over to Fishbaugh for that BW/Ott DH the last weekend of the regular season.  That's going to be a big one. 

I think if I'm a fan of Etta or JCU I want Ott and Mount as the other 2 teams.  Berg definitely seems more dangerous at this point. 

As for my Raiders, the bad news is that they really need to win all 4 games.  The good news is that they have Wilm and Musky.  The better news is that Carlino will start half of those games.    I think they should sweep Wilm without much trouble.  The Quakers are really having a rough season.  But for some reason that Musky DH scares me.  It's in New Concord, the Fish have proven to be fairly frisky, all the pressure will be on Mount.  Just makes me a little nervous.  Lets look at Musky's resume.  They swept Berg.  Split with JCU, Cap, Wilm.  Drilled by Etta.  And swept by BW in 2 close games (5-3 and 7-6).  So other than Etta they've hung with the next 3 best teams.  Definitely not the pushover I'd hope a 6-23 team would be. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 22, 2013, 11:49:56 AM
John Carroll has played really well in the conference. 9-5 probably is a little worse than they deserve. Spagna has 3 of their league losses and I wouldn't doubt that we've seen his last conference pitching performance until Day 3 of the tournament. Doring has shown the ability to not only beat but dominate anyone in the conference on his day.

A 3-way tie between Ott, Heid and Mount looks like this.
Ott -- 3-1, swept Heid, split Mount
Heid -- 2-2, swept Mount, lost sweep to Ott
Mount -- 1-3, split Ott, swept by Mount

Capital has DHs with both Ott and Heid and has pitched well in the league. It's a little tough to see them getting into the running for 4th, but they could have a big say in who ends up there.

An ONU sweep of Muskingum would make their season finishing at JCU interesting. Seems like they've found a couple of reliable arms too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 22, 2013, 03:14:30 PM
Mount's prospects in any three way(plus) combination are not good and they need to have things fall in a way which keeps them out of those types of situations. 

I'll admit, I lose track of the "bottom rungs" of the conference.  Northern and Capital at 6-8 with the ability to be 10-8 could have an impact on the outcome.  Particulary sice Cap plays two of the "contenders" in Otterbein and Heidelberg.  Northern has a series with John Carroll which could also have a significant impact on the race. 

Interesting side note:  Coach Brewer, on one of his radio interviews yesterday, indicated that starting next year, conference double headers were going to be two nine inning affairs. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2013, 03:27:36 PM
Has it been every combination?  7-7, 7-9 and 9-9?  I know when I was playing 12 yrs ago it was 7-9, but then they changed it after that only to switch back to it.  Or am I not remembering correctly?

I like a pair of 9's better.  Always seemed silly to have one of each.  Move up the start time to noon if needed and just play 2 9's. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 22, 2013, 03:57:44 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 22, 2013, 03:14:30 PM
Interesting side note:  Coach Brewer, on one of his radio interviews yesterday, indicated that starting next year, conference double headers were going to be two nine inning affairs.

Absolutely how it should be. Why play less baseball? The NCAA already limits you more than enough.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 22, 2013, 04:33:28 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2013, 03:27:36 PM
Has it been every combination?  7-7, 7-9 and 9-9?  I know when I was playing 12 yrs ago it was 7-9, but then they changed it after that only to switch back to it.  Or am I not remembering correctly?

I like a pair of 9's better.  Always seemed silly to have one of each.  Move up the start time to noon if needed and just play 2 9's.

It was a 7/9 for years. then in the early 2000's they switched to two 7's.  Coach Schaly was not pleased with this.  It took away 18 innings of baseball from the kids.  They switched back to the 7/9 format sometime after 2006. 

Brewer talked about how different the strategy is in the 7 inning game vs. the 9 inning game, and how little things have a magnified impact.  You make defensive substitutions earlier, or Pinch hit earlier.  According to him, nobody in the conference likes the seven. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2013, 05:21:58 PM
Well two 7's is just ridiculous at the college level, IMO.  You want to do that in FL or when you go hang out at Wittenberg on a Sunday afternoon that's fine.  But not for OAC games.  Play full games. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 24, 2013, 08:01:31 AM
JCU had a real chance to make a case for improving their regional appeal with a twinbill against a Solid Case team yesterday and came away with a split.  This isn't necessarily a bad outcome.  But a sweep would have been huge. 

Other key in region non-conference games this week include:

Mount Union losing to PSU-Beherend 6-2
Berg defeating Trine 11-9
'Berg vs. OWU today
Mount Union vs. Allegheny today
Marietta vs. Frostburg St. Today
Otterbein and Denison today (probably more critical for Denison at this point)
'Berg vs. Dension tomorrow
Update: Marietta vs. Wooster Thursday

Dr. A, Would you label the results so far this year disappointing considering the talent the Raiders had returning?  There is certainly a chance for redemption with a strong tournament run, so it isn't over yet.  I expected Mount to be in serious contention for the regular season title, but they are now in a "pressure situation" where they MUST win all four games and hope things go there way in other games just to have that chance to be in the tournament.  Just curious about your thoughts (or anyone elses for that matter). 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 24, 2013, 08:02:49 AM
Mount drops a non conf game at PSU Behrend yesterday 6-2.  They did little to help their own cause mustering just 4 hits in 9 innings (2 each for Morino and Sherwood) and giving up 5 unearned runs in the crucial 4th inning.  They're 16-14 and at Allegheny today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 24, 2013, 09:40:26 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 24, 2013, 08:01:31 AM
Dr. A, Would you label the results so far this year disappointing considering the talent the Raiders had returning?  There is certainly a chance for redemption with a strong tournament run, so it isn't over yet.  I expected Mount to be in serious contention for the regular season title, but they are now in a "pressure situation" where they MUST win all four games and hope things go there way in other games just to have that chance to be in the tournament.  Just curious about your thoughts (or anyone elses for that matter).

I'm certainly disappointed.  The fact is that they went 8-2 in FL against a less than strong schedule.  If you do the math that means they're 8-12 up north.  7-7 in the OAC.  For a team that went 13-5 in the OAC last year, split with the National Champs and basically returned their entire team it's very disappointing.  I was right there with you thinking they should potentially contend (I figured there'd have to be some drop off with Etta losing so much).  Unfortunately what we've seen is that one start a week they can be the beat anyone.  The other three starts they struggle to put together a complete effort with offense/pitching/D.  And honestly they probably don't put together complete offensive efforts in Carlino's starts either he just consistently overcomes it and wins games where they don't score much (he's 4-0 in games they score 4 runs or less).   

But I try not to be too negative because, just like any other school, those kids are working their tails off in practice every day.  I've harped on the negatives (inconsistent pitching, lack of any real pop with the offense), but they've had some positives.  Knott and Morino have emerged as good corner infielders this year (both hitting over .400 last time I looked).  Carlino has been absolutely fantastic as the #1 starter.  They have a couple of freshmen playing that are showing some good flashes offensively.  And again, their entire team returns next year.  They don't have a senior on the roster.  So if they win out and make the tourney I'll be the first one on here touting "Carlino has beaten Etta and JCU.  If he can win the opener in the OAC tourney who knows!!"  Life as a fan I guess.  Haha.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 24, 2013, 12:07:56 PM
I think this year's OAC tournament will feature 4 teams that have very good first-day pitchers, and several good ones after that.

Anyone know when the last time someone other than Marietta, Heidelberg or Otterbein won the OAC tournament? And who won it? I sure didn't...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 24, 2013, 12:14:16 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 24, 2013, 12:07:56 PM
I think this year's OAC tournament will feature 4 teams that have very good first-day pitchers, and several good ones after that.

Anyone know when the last time someone other than Marietta, Heidelberg or Otterbein won the OAC tournament? And who won it? I sure didn't...

It has to be back in the 80's because when I was a freshman (1998) no one aside from Etta had won for like a decade straight.  My guess would be ONU in the 80's??
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 24, 2013, 01:35:27 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 24, 2013, 12:14:16 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 24, 2013, 12:07:56 PM
I think this year's OAC tournament will feature 4 teams that have very good first-day pitchers, and several good ones after that.

Anyone know when the last time someone other than Marietta, Heidelberg or Otterbein won the OAC tournament? And who won it? I sure didn't...

It has to be back in the 80's because when I was a freshman (1998) no one aside from Etta had won for like a decade straight.  My guess would be ONU in the 80's??

Not a bad guess. B-W in 85. ONU won it in like 82 and 83. 83 must have been a heckuva year in the OAC.

Mount tied for it in 1970 when the championship game was rained out with a tie score. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 24, 2013, 02:06:51 PM
It appears that Marietta has added a single game with the Wooster Scots Thursday evening at 7:00 PM.  Another key in region matchup.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 24, 2013, 04:22:00 PM
Heidi's game with OWU has been rained out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2013, 08:47:27 AM
Marietta takes a game from Wooster.  Interesting how some of these "in region" games can be a little misleading.  Both teams had to save their top pitching.  So both start a freshman, who I think were making their first start.  Is it really a good "guage" as to how these teams matchup against each other when it is #5+ pitcher vs. #5+ pitcher?  In an early tournament game when it is 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2...

Dension got a huge sweep of Heidelberg yesterday.  'Berg was in a similar situation with pitching.  They have a HUGE series on Saturday with JCU (a win or go home, type series), so they had to conserve pitching for the league.  Dension has a crossover series with Oberlin (which I'm not sure how that factors into the NCAC race).  Don't know enough about Densions team to know whether they used their 1 and 2 arms. 

Case and Northern were rained out. 

Mount drops a game to Allegheny.

Big weekend....

'Berg @ JCU.  'Berg almost hast to sweep.  Another loss and they need help from other teams.  JCU needs to sweep to stay in the title hunt.  Also JCU need to keep their regional resume looking good, just in case.
BW @ Marietta - a Pioneer sweep, and they clinch a share for first, and likely the right to host the tournament.
Cap @ Otterbein - Otterbein is 8-6.  They really need to win these two from Capital as a twinbill with B-W looms on the final weekend.  If they stand at 10-6 after Saturday, they have a good chance of getting in.  Cap is in an interesting position at 6-8...If they somehow win 4 :o 
Mount @ Wilmington - Mount is in a must win situation to stay in the hunt too.  Tiebreakers won't likely go in their favor.  The good news, they play lowly Wilmington.
ONU @ Muskingum - ONU is now 6-8.  Another scenario where 4 wins could make things interesting.  They finish with JCU next weekend.

My predictions:

'Berg and JCU split.  Both have quality pitching, and I think JCU is a pretty good squad. 
Marietta and BW Split.  BW is still a decent team.  Marietta has been living on starting pitching.  What happens when one starter really struggles?  Bullpen is an issue and will come back to haunt them at some point.
Otterbein sweeps cap.  I was not impressed with Capital, at all.  Otterbein has better pitching.
Mount sweeps Wilmington - There are probably a host of high school teams who could sweep Wilmington.
Northern sweeps Muskingum - This will make things interesting.

So this is what I think the contenders pile will look like after Saturday....

Marietta 12-4 (if this is how it ends up, Marietta would clinch the right to host by virtue of B-W's penalties, I believe).
BW 11-5
JCU 10-6
Ott 10-6
Mount 9-7
Heid 8-8
ONU 8-8

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 26, 2013, 09:45:44 AM
Yeah, Mount and Gheny were tied 1-1 until the Gators scored 5 in the bottom of the 8th.  Mount plated 3 in the 9th to make the final 6-4.  The problem, and I feel like freaking Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, is that they're just so hit or miss offensively.  8 innings of baseball against a decent team and you have 1 run courtesy of a walk, then a HBP, a wild pitch and then a ground out.  I'm all for manufacturing runs and I do like that Mount executes small ball regularly with a nice amount of sac bunts and/or stolen bases, but when an inning like that is the totality of your offense over 8 innings I'm a little concerned quite frankly.

As for this weekend, I think the Cap/Ott DH is sneaky dangerous.  I wouldn't be surprised with a split there at all.  With it being hated rival Ott with a chance to ruin their tourney hopes (and keep their own alive?  I don't know) I'm guessing Cap will be up for that DH big time. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2013, 10:21:20 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 26, 2013, 09:45:44 AM
As for this weekend, I think the Cap/Ott DH is sneaky dangerous.  I wouldn't be surprised with a split there at all.  With it being hated rival Ott with a chance to ruin their tourney hopes (and keep their own alive?  I don't know) I'm guessing Cap will be up for that DH big time.

Agree this is an interesting double header, and any combination of outcomes would not be a surprise.  Heidelberg fans need to hope for Otterbein to fall on their faces (Just in case) since Ott has a 2-0 record against 'berg this year.   Raider fans should probably be pulling for Capital as well to get them out of the playoff hunt.  As my wife will continue to remind me, I'm wrong more often than I'm right!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 26, 2013, 11:05:53 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2013, 08:47:27 AM
Marietta takes a game from Wooster.  Interesting how some of these "in region" games can be a little misleading.  Both teams had to save their top pitching.  So both start a freshman, who I think were making their first start.  Is it really a good "guage" as to how these teams matchup against each other when it is #5+ pitcher vs. #5+ pitcher?  In an early tournament game when it is 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2...

Dension got a huge sweep of Heidelberg yesterday.  'Berg was in a similar situation with pitching.  They have a HUGE series on Saturday with JCU (a win or go home, type series), so they had to conserve pitching for the league.  Dension has a crossover series with Oberlin (which I'm not sure how that factors into the NCAC race).  Don't know enough about Densions team to know whether they used their 1 and 2 arms. 

Case and Northern were rained out. 

Mount drops a game to Allegheny.

Big weekend....

'Berg @ JCU.  'Berg almost hast to sweep.  Another loss and they need help from other teams.  JCU needs to sweep to stay in the title hunt.  Also JCU need to keep their regional resume looking good, just in case.
BW @ Marietta - a Pioneer sweep, and they clinch a share for first, and likely the right to host the tournament.
Cap @ Otterbein - Otterbein is 8-6.  They really need to win these two from Capital as a twinbill with B-W looms on the final weekend.  If they stand at 10-6 after Saturday, they have a good chance of getting in.  Cap is in an interesting position at 6-8...If they somehow win 4 :o 
Mount @ Wilmington - Mount is in a must win situation to stay in the hunt too.  Tiebreakers won't likely go in their favor.  The good news, they play lowly Wilmington.
ONU @ Muskingum - ONU is now 6-8.  Another scenario where 4 wins could make things interesting.  They finish with JCU next weekend.

My predictions:

'Berg and JCU split.  Both have quality pitching, and I think JCU is a pretty good squad. 
Marietta and BW Split.  BW is still a decent team.  Marietta has been living on starting pitching.  What happens when one starter really struggles?  Bullpen is an issue and will come back to haunt them at some point.
Otterbein sweeps cap.  I was not impressed with Capital, at all.  Otterbein has better pitching.
Mount sweeps Wilmington - There are probably a host of high school teams who could sweep Wilmington.
Northern sweeps Muskingum - This will make things interesting.

So this is what I think the contenders pile will look like after Saturday....

Marietta 12-4 (if this is how it ends up, Marietta would clinch the right to host by virtue of B-W's penalties, I believe).
BW 11-5
JCU 10-6
Ott 10-6
Mount 9-7
Heid 8-8
ONU 8-8

Denison has an open weekend. They have finished up league play and the cross over is not until May 4. Looks like they had each of their main starters, Colgain, Murphy and Duxbury each pitch some. Murphy 6, Colgain 2, and duxbury .1, in the first game. Walsh, Barry and Seay went in the second game. Seay is the only one of these three that does not have a start. Walsh and Barry have 8 starts between them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 27, 2013, 03:19:10 PM
JCU takes the opener 4-0 over Berg.

Ott eeks out a 2-1 win in 8 inn in game 1. 

Mount coasts as expected 10-1 behind Carlino in Wilm.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 27, 2013, 03:30:59 PM
Marietta wins 6-0. Byers throws a shutout despite working deep into a lot of counts.

Middle of the order productive as Hopper, Toth and DH Chris Winpigler all had 2 hits -- Hopper homered and Winpigler tripled.

Mulvey vs. Redovian in Game 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 27, 2013, 05:18:50 PM
Marietta gets the sweep, 10-1 in Game 2. A solo HR the only run for B-W all day. Mike Mulvey blamed Mitch Geers -- back in the starting lineup -- for jinxing it.

I *believe* that this clinches the 1 seed for Marietta, as long as the tiebreak procedure includes B-W because JCU split with B-W and JCU only has an edge in tiebreak over Heidelberg. HEID cannot finish ahead of B-W without beating JCU, which would then clinch for MC anyway.

If B-W doesn't count, then it's still on.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 27, 2013, 09:06:34 PM
Mount sweeps Wilm 8-0.  A split at Musky gets them in now thanks to JCU sweeping Berg. Ott is in the same boat as they're also sitting at 9-7 after splitting with Cap. The Crusaders bounced back and coasted to a 7-1 win in game 2. Ott had just 3 hits off of Hoying in those 7 innings.  He's throwing very well lately.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 27, 2013, 09:33:36 PM
As  I understand the tiebreak procedures you are correct. This clinches 1. A share of the oac title, and 2. Hosting the tourney. With two games against a bad wilmington team next weekend it likely won't matter anyhow.

This was a HUGE blow to Heidelberg today.  They play Capital and need a sweep Plus lots of help

Mount union needs 1 win and they are in. They play muskingum, one win shouldn't be a problem.

Jcu is in the tournament. They play onu.

Otterbein and B-W Is big for the cardinals. 

Marietta has finals this week so no mid week games for them.







Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 27, 2013, 10:17:33 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 27, 2013, 09:33:36 PM
As  I understand the tiebreak procedures you are correct. This clinches 1. A share of the oac title, and 2. Hosting the tourney. With two games against a bad wilmington team next weekend it likely won't matter anyhow.

This was a HUGE blow to Heidelberg today.  They play Capital and need a sweep Plus lots of help

Mount union needs 1 win and they are in. They play muskingum, one win shouldn't be a problem.

Jcu is in the tournament. They play onu.

Otterbein and B-W Is big for the cardinals. 

Marietta has finals this week so no mid week games for them.

Only thing I'm not sure about is if B-W counts in the tiebreak sequence. IMO it would matter because if they've clinched, MC could go after the Sat/Sun games with their top 3, then have them ready for the tournament.

It wouldn't surprise me if they pick up games on Mon and/or Tues leading into the tournament. MC doesn't usually play less than the max without trying everything possible to get them all in.

Any word on whether Luke Langdon makes it back for tournaments?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 27, 2013, 10:29:15 PM
Luke was dressed today for the first time all year. Don't know if he gets back or not. I asked him a week ago and he was hopeful he would pitch again this year. He threw some jv innings but he tweaked something in one of those outings and it caused a little setback

I wouldn't be surprised to see them play either, particularly if the could do it at home.

I wouldn't see why BW wouldn't count in the tie breaker either. It is doesn't mention anything int the hand book about record against post season eligible teams.  Wilmington is not good at all so I don't see it making much difference.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 27, 2013, 10:50:46 PM
The 3-4 spots look to still be nominally up for grabs. You have to figure JCU will get at least 1 win and wrap up the 2 seed.

MTU (9-7) -- at Muskingum. Looks easy, but MUSK is 3-3 at home in the league with wins over Heid 2x and split of John Carroll (albeit facing Spagna who isn't in the top 3 anymore for JCU). MUSK could get a split if they haven't folded the tent yet. But figure at least one win for Mount, which with their win over MAR is all they need.

OTT (9-7) -- hosting B-W. Yikes. B-W definitely didn't play their best today. Neither did OTT, really, who could easily have gotten swept by Capital in Westerville. OTT is 5-1 at home but against MUSK, WILM and CAP. B-W bats have generally traveled well this season, aside from today. Anything could happen in this DH, IMO.

ONU (8-8) -- at John Carroll. If there's one pitching staff I don't want to see right now, it's the Blue Streaks'. Hard to see any better than a split here for ONU, best case. ONU might be best served to try to win one, and hope Doring is wild and B-W sweeps OTT, then ONU could win tiebreak with OTT. O'Brien will likely be the Tekulve Award winner for John Carroll.

CAP (7-9) hosting HEID (7-9) -- Obviously, someone has to sweep. CAP has not been a pushover, and Holt was really not good today for Heidelberg...maybe throwing him 130 pitches in his first start back from injury wasn't such a great idea. HEID all of a sudden has significant pitching issues (allowed less than 4 runs in just 1 of last 10 games), and CAP is 5-3 at home. Split seems likely, and a CAP sweep wouldn't be a shock.

Important sweeps
MTU over ONU; HEID over MTU, B-W over MTU.
OTT over HEID; MAR over OTT, JCU over OTT.
ONU -- none; MAR over ONU, MTU over ONU
CAP -- none; MAR over CAP, MTU over CAP
HEID over MTU; OTT over HEID, JCU over HEID

HEID, MTU beat Marietta
MTU, CAP beat John Carroll
HEID, ONU, CAP beat B-W

Someone else can figure out 3-5 way tiebreaks. I'm going to Dairy Queen.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 28, 2013, 12:21:34 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 27, 2013, 10:29:15 PM
Luke was dressed today for the first time all year. Don't know if he gets back or not. I asked him a week ago and he was hopeful he would pitch again this year. He threw some jv innings but he tweaked something in one of those outings and it caused a little setback

I wouldn't be surprised to see them play either, particularly if the could do it at home.

I wouldn't see why BW wouldn't count in the tie breaker either. It is doesn't mention anything int the hand book about record against post season eligible teams.  Wilmington is not good at all so I don't see it making much difference.

Monday game added against the Fighting Deegans.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 28, 2013, 10:28:43 AM
From previous analysis of tie breakers...

Heidelberg's best shot of making the field is a sweep of capital plus two loses by mount union. If mount wins one that leaves one st left. 

Otterbein would hold he advantage over both onu and Heidelberg in the event of a three way tie or a two way tie with Heidelberg.

Onu must sweep jcu to make the tourney, IMO, and finish 10-8.  9-9 won't do it for them.

There are so many possibilities, and combinations of finishes it is very difficult to predict. But I'll try.

1. Marietta wins at least one and probably 2 against Wilmington.  Cinching the top spot.
2. jcu at least splits with onu and clinches the 2 seed.
3.  Mount at worst splits with musk and grabs one of the final three spots.

So we are down to spot four. The possible teams are otterbein, capital, Heidelberg, and northern. 

Either cap or Heidelberg have to sweep the other, a split is an elimination, becuase the worst case scenario for otterbein is 9-9. 

Northern must at least split with jcu, if they are swept, it is elimination.

Otterrbein is in the best position of the four. A win and they are in.  Getting swept means at worst 9-9.  But they will have an eye on the northern series with jcu for certain.  A two way tie with northern is problematic for the Cards.

Lots of pressure on a few teams for certain. I'm sure the coaches know what needs to happen. The most important is to take care your own business and then worry about the other outcomes. For us fans though, it is fun to guess and make predictions.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on April 28, 2013, 01:10:53 PM
I think ONU could win a tiebreak at 9-9 if it was with OTT. OTT being 9-9 would mean they won 0 against B-W, and ONU won 1 against B-W and 1 against JCU.

Easy way to think of it, otherwise. Unless HEID is in the tiebreak, the only mini-league sweep was MTU over ONU. Anything else and you have to go to top wins unless HEID sweeps.

Bottom line: I think OTT loses any tiebreak not involving HEID. And I think the only tiebreaks HEID can win involve MTU, which I think we agree is unlikely.

I think if OTT wins 1, they're safe because I can't see ONU sweeping at JCU.

I think MAR 1 seed, JCU 2 seed is already locked because of tiebreaks. JCU's sweeps of OTT and split of B-W eventually assure that, I think.

This sure would be a lot more fun if B-W was in it.




Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 28, 2013, 04:33:52 PM
Just in case there is a three way tie at 9-9 between Heidelberg, Otterbein, and Northern for the fourth spot.

         Ott   Onu.   Heid
Ott.           1-1.    2-0.   3-1
Onu.   1-1.           1-1.   2-2
Held.   0-2. 1-1.            1-3

Otterbein would win this three way tie breaker (which is not out of the question--ott is swept by BW, Berg sweeps cap, northern splits with JCU)




Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 30, 2013, 08:01:40 AM
Marietta handled Denison last night.  Dension was in self destruct mode as they committed five errors in the ball game.  Most of Marietta's early runs came with two outs and many were unearned.  I'm sure Coach Deegan won't be pleased with his teams performance defensively.  This was a good in region win for the Pioneers.

Today is a big day for "in region" games in the conference.  BW has two games with Case Western Reserve (obviously bigger for CWRU than BW but still).  JCU is looking to imrpove their regional resume with a single game against Wooster.  Other in-region games include Heidelberg against wittenberg and Muskingum vs. W&J. 

Tomorrow features in region games between Heidelberg and Wooster, Northern and Wittenberg, Muskingum and OWU.  The most interesting matchup for Wednesday though looks like a matchup between JCU and B-W (JCU was probably wise to drop their game with Hiram to play BW again.  A win against Hiram would have not helped their SOS or their team at all).  It won't count in the conference race, but it is an important in region matchup. 

Cap and OWU play on Thurdsay before the final weekend of league play.

The radio guys for Marietta last night passed along word that Marietta SID Jeff Schaly had confirmed, that Marietta has secured the right to host the OAC tournament by the tie breaker formulas.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 30, 2013, 09:29:22 AM
Etta,
I do not believe it was JCU's decision. When Hiram Kenyon was postponed on Sunday, Hiram had to cancel with JCU to complete the games against Kenyon. I think Kenyon insisted because if they take two more from Hiram they are tied for third in the east. This is big because it is the difference of playing Denison or Witt in the cross over to get to the NCAC tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: jskomra10 on April 30, 2013, 10:18:59 AM
bishop you're absolutely right
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 30, 2013, 10:28:00 AM
Makes sense.  Sometimes I don't dig deeply enough. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 01, 2013, 08:19:15 AM
B-W Splits with Case
JCU drops a decision to Wooster.

JCU and BW in non-leauge action today.
Wooster and Heidelberg as well. 

I think the loss to Wooster puts JCU in a position where they must win the OAC tournament to get a regional bid.  They had three key in region games against Case and Wooster and managed to go 1-2. 

In my opinion,
Marietta should make the regional (barring an 0-7 run in their last weekend and quick exit from the OAC tournament).
JCU, Mount, and whomever the 4 seed is have to win the tournament to get a bid.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2013, 08:20:08 AM
Ouch.  JCU  :o

Wooster eeks out 'Berg in extras. 

Last weekend coming up...Prediction time.

Biggest Series of the weekend:  Otterbein and BW-Otterbein needs at least one in this series.  BW is playing for pride as their season ends Saturday.  Both of these teams were very erratic on offense when I saw them.  Their pitching was adequate.  BW's defense left much to be desired.  Toughey and Meadows are legitimate candidates for POY in the league.  If Otterbein gets swept they could still get in to the tournament but will have to do some scoreboard watching along the way.  I think both were a bit inflated by early season cupcake schedules, and I'm not sure there is a big difference between either.  My prediction....BW takes two in Westerville.

Marietta and Wilmington.  Marietta could (not saying they will) save their top arms for CWRU on Saturday and still win handily.  Marietta sweeps with little trouble.
JCU and Northern.  Dorring and O'Brien are en fuego on the hill.  Northern may not score more than 2 runs in 16 innings against those two.  JCU wins two.
Mount and Muskingum.  Mount must win one to clinch their spot for next weekend.  Noticed where Muskinum scored 22 runs against Ohio Wesleyan.  They are bipolar, but mostly not particularly good.  Mount does its job and wins two.
Heidelberg and Capital.  Both teams are 7-9 in league play.  If either wants any chance to make the tournament, they have to win two games.  It is really unfortunate that the injury bug bit 'Berg as hard as it did.  I really thought they would be a serious contender to be hosting next weekend.  'Berg has too much pitching depth, and cap is not particularly strong offensively.  Heidelberg get's a chance to sneak in the back door, but will end up finishing their season on Saturday.  Heidelberg sweeps.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 02, 2013, 10:36:12 AM
With you on all but HEID-CAP. CAP is playing pretty well right now, has beaten 2 of the top 3 teams, and is getting good pitching. I don't know what HEID has for pitching right now if Holt is on the fritz and Thomas went against Wooster. Regardless of what their season numbers say, this has not been a good pitching team over the last 10 or so games.

I'll say a split, but a CAP sweep wouldn't surprise me.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 02, 2013, 12:54:15 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2013, 08:20:08 AM
Ouch.  JCU  :o

Wooster eeks out 'Berg in extras. 

Last weekend coming up...Prediction time.

Biggest Series of the weekend:  Otterbein and BW-Otterbein needs at least one in this series.  BW is playing for pride as their season ends Saturday.  Both of these teams were very erratic on offense when I saw them.  Their pitching was adequate.  BW's defense left much to be desired.  Toughey and Meadows are legitimate candidates for POY in the league.  If Otterbein gets swept they could still get in to the tournament but will have to do some scoreboard watching along the way.  I think both were a bit inflated by early season cupcake schedules, and I'm not sure there is a big difference between either.  My prediction....BW takes two in Westerville.

Marietta and Wilmington.  Marietta could (not saying they will) save their top arms for CWRU on Saturday and still win handily.  Marietta sweeps with little trouble.
JCU and Northern.  Dorring and O'Brien are en fuego on the hill.  Northern may not score more than 2 runs in 16 innings against those two.  JCU wins two.
Mount and Muskingum.  Mount must win one to clinch their spot for next weekend. Noticed where Muskinum scored 22 runs against Ohio Wesleyan.  They are bipolar, but mostly not particularly good.  Mount does its job and wins two.
Heidelberg and Capital.  Both teams are 7-9 in league play.  If either wants any chance to make the tournament, they have to win two games.  It is really unfortunate that the injury bug bit 'Berg as hard as it did.  I really thought they would be a serious contender to be hosting next weekend.  'Berg has too much pitching depth, and cap is not particularly strong offensively.  Heidelberg get's a chance to sneak in the back door, but will end up finishing their season on Saturday.  Heidelberg sweeps.

I agree they are not particularly good. Not that we are any better right now, not saying that we deserved this loss.
Here comes the BUT,
The pitchers they faced are not particularly tough, almost the same group that Cap faced last week. There era is as follows
8.57   
5.40       
6.00   
6.75
Some with limited innings. We rare throw a weekend starter on Weds games. Day two starters may get some innings tonight. It is possible we could have been more competitive if we had used other pitchers. I said it earlier. Where pitching was going to be a strength early in the year it has now become a weakness and we just are not deep enough.
Congrats to Muskingum.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2013, 01:40:22 PM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on May 02, 2013, 10:36:12 AM
I don't know what HEID has for pitching right now if Holt is on the fritz and Thomas went against Wooster.


Curious thing.  Thomas battled injuries this year (Broken hand I think).  Yet he is one of the better pitchers on the 'Berg staff (the numbers show it, too).  He threw well against Wooster (6.0 IP)  and against Trine and not so well against BW.  Perhaps motorman can shed some light, on why he wasn't "saved" to throw against Capital this weekend.  Maybe he isn't "back" to full strength yet? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 02, 2013, 11:30:50 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2013, 01:40:22 PM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on May 02, 2013, 10:36:12 AM
I don't know what HEID has for pitching right now if Holt is on the fritz and Thomas went against Wooster.


Curious thing.  Thomas battled injuries this year (Broken hand I think).  Yet he is one of the better pitchers on the 'Berg staff (the numbers show it, too).  He threw well against Wooster (6.0 IP)  and against Trine and not so well against BW.  Perhaps motorman can shed some light, on why he wasn't "saved" to throw against Capital this weekend.  Maybe he isn't "back" to full strength yet?

Holt isn't on the fritz, he pitched well against JCU last week and got no run support. Thomas was rushed back 4 days after he had his splint removed to pitch against BW, which happened to be a Tuesday. Think they just went with him in the midweek and kept Holt and the freshman Huber, who was great against Mount, on the weekend. Huber struggled last week against JCU, but once again a lack of hitting pretty much made that a moot point.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 03, 2013, 12:43:27 AM
Quote from: motorman on May 02, 2013, 11:30:50 PM

Holt isn't on the fritz, he pitched well against JCU last week and got no run support. Thomas was rushed back 4 days after he had his splint removed to pitch against BW, which happened to be a Tuesday. Think they just went with him in the midweek and kept Holt and the freshman Huber, who was great against Mount, on the weekend. Huber struggled last week against JCU, but once again a lack of hitting pretty much made that a moot point.

Holt walked 6 and gave up 8 hits in 4 2/3 against John Carroll, striking out 3. That's far from a good outing for a top 2 rotation guy.

He walked 5 against Mount even though that obviously was a better outing. Threw 111 pitches there after throwing 121 in his first start back against Marietta. I'm guessing he was close to or over 100 against JCU as well (27 batters faced plus obvious control problems)

If he had been healthy all year, this wouldn't be anything...but coming straight back from injury and going over 110 pitches the first two times back (and 120 on the first one)...seems like asking a lot.

Seems like Holt walks several guys, question is just whether he'll miss enough bats to get away with it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 03, 2013, 08:13:33 AM
For some reason Frostburg State isn't coming to Marietta on Sunday, and as a result, the Pioneers will travel to LaRoche.

John Carroll is up one spot in the Regional rankings this week to #8.  Marietta remains in the top spot. 

Motorman, thanks for the input.  I feel for the 'Berg program.  As big of a rival as they have become in the past 10 years, the league is a lot more interesting and exciting when they are in the top portion of the rankings.  Injuries happen in any year and the season continues.  Unfortunately the specific combination of injuries appeared too much to overcome. 

The OAC with a healthy 'Berg and a post season eligible B-W could have made for one of the most competitive conference tournaments in the country. 

Because it is Derby weekend....

AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME! 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 03, 2013, 12:02:43 PM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on May 03, 2013, 12:43:27 AM
Quote from: motorman on May 02, 2013, 11:30:50 PM

Holt isn't on the fritz, he pitched well against JCU last week and got no run support. Thomas was rushed back 4 days after he had his splint removed to pitch against BW, which happened to be a Tuesday. Think they just went with him in the midweek and kept Holt and the freshman Huber, who was great against Mount, on the weekend. Huber struggled last week against JCU, but once again a lack of hitting pretty much made that a moot point.

Holt walked 6 and gave up 8 hits in 4 2/3 against John Carroll, striking out 3. That's far from a good outing for a top 2 rotation guy.

He walked 5 against Mount even though that obviously was a better outing. Threw 111 pitches there after throwing 121 in his first start back against Marietta. I'm guessing he was close to or over 100 against JCU as well (27 batters faced plus obvious control problems)

If he had been healthy all year, this wouldn't be anything...but coming straight back from injury and going over 110 pitches the first two times back (and 120 on the first one)...seems like asking a lot.

Seems like Holt walks several guys, question is just whether he'll miss enough bats to get away with it.

I forgot about the 5th inning, when Holt walked 4. I hate to say this cause it sounds like sour grapes, but the strike zone changed dramatically in that inning. Guy behind the plate was pretty incompetent. Up until that point he was calling stuff way off the plate strikes. I hate umps that do that. Berg had a left handed batter look at a change up that started off the plate and did nothing but get farther off the plate get called a strike, so he swung at the identical pitch and couldn't reach it.

In the second game while doing the bases this genius called the infield fly rule with runnners on first and third with 1 out. Might have gotten away with it if Berg 2nd baseman doesn't drop the pop up. Berg threw to 2nd to get the force on runner, but somehow they came up with the ruling that even though it was the wrong call the batter was out and since the runner going to 2nd wasn't tagged that he was safe.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2013, 01:46:19 PM
Wow. Ott up 3-0 in the 2nd and BW pulls Havens already.  Tough for him as it may be his last outing.   I only saw one ball hit hard off of him but he was having some control issues.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2013, 02:45:48 PM
9-2 Ott in the 6th. BW just hasn't come through with the big hit when needed.  Credit Meadows though. He's pitching well and got strikeouts when guys were in scoring position and the game was close.

Also, looks like Mount is up 7-2 in the 5th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2013, 03:58:57 PM
Berg trailed 10-5 after 5, scored 3 in the 6th and 4 in the 7th to go up 12-10 only to have Cap load the bases with nobody out, hit a sac fly and then a walk-off 3 run HR from the 9 hitter to win it 14-12. Sounds like that was a crazy game in Bexley!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2013, 04:00:25 PM
According to Mount's Twitter the seedings are Etta, JCU, Mount, Ott.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 04, 2013, 08:46:04 PM
This is what the Marietta Sid said also.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: DagarmanSpartan on May 05, 2013, 11:30:00 AM
Query: will Case's sweep of Marietta help it to lock up an at large bd?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2013, 12:13:02 PM
Quote from: DagarmanSpartan on May 05, 2013, 11:30:00 AM
Query: will Case's sweep of Marietta help it to lock up an at large bd?

I think so. Case's SOS jumped a bunch. Their region win pct is like .667 .694 (my bad, laziness is no excuse :) )


I think it is enough. It should be. They were an impressive club.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on May 05, 2013, 07:07:06 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2013, 12:13:02 PM
Quote from: DagarmanSpartan on May 05, 2013, 11:30:00 AM
Query: will Case's sweep of Marietta help it to lock up an at large bd?

I think so. Case's SOS jumped a bunch. Their region win pct is like .667

I think it is enough. It should be. They were an impressive club.

.694

We still aren't certain how many B-s there are gong to be or how many highly ranked teams will drop from A to C.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 06, 2013, 09:36:48 AM
#4 Otterbein vs. #1 Marietta Thursday 1:00
#3 Mount vs. #2 JCU 4:00

Friday
11:00  Winners
2:00 Losers
5:00 Losers bracket final

Saturday
12:00 Championship
3:00 If game

I'm anxious to see the Carlino vs. O'Brien matchup in game 2.  That should be a good one, and could easily go either way.  JCU is playing very well right now. 
I'm anxious to see who Otterbein throws against Byers in game 1. 

Any team not named Marietta has to win the tournament to get a birth to the regional.  I think Marietta is a lock to advance to the NCAA tournament regardless of the tournament outcome. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 06, 2013, 10:11:29 AM
Mount is swinging the bats better now.  Of course, that's what DH's with Wilm and Musky will do for ya.  They didn't see O'Brien in UH, but they didn't hit great in that DH.  Lapaglia shut them down pretty well.  I don't expect them to score much off of O'Brien.  Just have to hope Carlino is on Thursday so maybe they won't need many to win.  Oh, and clean up the fielding.  Sheesh.  That was bad at Musky.  I think they combined for 13 or 14 errors in the 2nd game.  Gross.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 06, 2013, 06:13:17 PM
This is totally off topic, but after watching the DH at Ott Saturday I couldn't help but wonder...do they need to adjust those BBCOR standards for the bats?  I'm all for dialing it back from where it was when I played and people were just clubbing home runs and gap shots constantly, but I think they may have gone too far with it.  Other than Wes Meadows (who I think we'd all agree is an elite OAC hitter) I really didn't see a lot of balls hit where the OF had to run back on it.  A lot of grounders through the hole.  A lot of looping liners served out into the OF in front of the fielder.  And this isn't an Ott/BW issue.  It's been every game I've seen.  My friends call a seeing eye single a "Buckeye single" because that's the only base hits we ever saw OSU get.  I'm not asking for some kid to hit 20 homers like the old days, but there were PLAYERS when I played that had twice as many homers as TEAMS do now.  I don't know off the top of my head but those guys like Streit and Coakley or Crates from ONU had to have more homers by themselves than any team does now.  Crates hit around 20 and I think Mount has 5 as a team this year maybe.  That seems like a little bit of overkill, IMO. 

Sorry for the rant!     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: MCB on May 06, 2013, 06:33:52 PM
Fairly new on here but have a comment about the BBCOR bats. 

I have to agree the BBCOR bats are dialed back a little too much.  Watched my son hit more dingers in a very respectable summer wood bat league than he has almost his whole career playing college baseball.  Balls just do not seem to have the consistent carry with the BBCOR bats.  I like the concept but there needs to be a slight adjustment.  Would like to see college switch to wood as apposed to using these BBCOR bats.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: MCB on May 06, 2013, 06:37:33 PM
Really confused on how Case is not ranked nationally.  I can honestly say that if they consistently play like they did against Marietta, IMO they are the best team Marietta has seen all season. 

I can say that Marietta hurt themselves in a couple key situations which led to the multiple run HRs.  Hats off to Case as they definitely have the SOS and in region wins to prove they are a top team in the Mideast.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: OshDude on May 06, 2013, 08:54:59 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 06, 2013, 06:13:17 PM
This is totally off topic, but after watching the DH at Ott Saturday I couldn't help but wonder...do they need to adjust those BBCOR standards for the bats?  I'm all for dialing it back from where it was when I played and people were just clubbing home runs and gap shots constantly, but I think they may have gone too far with it.  Other than Wes Meadows (who I think we'd all agree is an elite OAC hitter) I really didn't see a lot of balls hit where the OF had to run back on it.  A lot of grounders through the hole.  A lot of looping liners served out into the OF in front of the fielder.  And this isn't an Ott/BW issue.  It's been every game I've seen.  My friends call a seeing eye single a "Buckeye single" because that's the only base hits we ever saw OSU get.  I'm not asking for some kid to hit 20 homers like the old days, but there were PLAYERS when I played that had twice as many homers as TEAMS do now.  I don't know off the top of my head but those guys like Streit and Coakley or Crates from ONU had to have more homers by themselves than any team does now.  Crates hit around 20 and I think Mount has 5 as a team this year maybe.  That seems like a little bit of overkill, IMO. 

Sorry for the rant!     
I have not gotten too in-depth, but it appears that production across the division is way, way up over last year's numbers. Not saying it's approaching BESR territory, but I think the bat manufacturers made up some ground with this year's models. Either that or players have gotten more comfortable with how the BBCOR bats perform.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 06, 2013, 10:28:51 PM
I like the lower-scoring, less homerun derbyish style. More emphasis on pitching and defense and situational hitting, etc. I like that good pitching is rewarded now. Used to be you couldn't pitch inside unless you could get it by someone.

I imagine it's easier for pro scouts to assess college players now too.

Guys like Coakley (as much pure power as I've ever seen in D-III) will still get theirs. The home run hasn't been taken out of the game. Case hit 3 HRs out of Don Schaly Stadium, which I would say is the 1st or 2nd toughest HR park in the region (the only one I might wonder about is Ohio Northern because it always seems like the wind blows in there, at least when I've been).

The fact that you can actually pitch now IMO means that when considering All-American candidates it's important to consider their level of competition within the division. It's a lot easier to hit and hit for power against the #250 schedule than a top 25 schedule now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on May 07, 2013, 11:22:01 AM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on May 06, 2013, 10:28:51 PM

Case hit 3 HRs out of Don Schaly Stadium,

CWRU hit 4 in game one.  Three by Ossala and another by Pakan (his fourth).  Ossala had only hit one other this year, back on March 11 in Fla.  Curiously 18 of his 40 hits this year came in six three-hit games (2 six-hit DH)

I wonder if anyone has tracked the effect of temperature on the distance a batted ball travels.  This was a cold spring in much of the country.

CWRU got six votes this week, curiously Marietta went from nine to eight.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: jos s on May 07, 2013, 01:06:25 PM
Case will have to continue to gain respect on the diamond, since it is clear it cannot amongst poll voters. not sure how marietta can go up after 2 tough losses at home to a team with the highest SOS in the region....yet Case cannot break into the top 25 after those wins.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 07, 2013, 01:33:26 PM
OK.  Time to nominate the players you feel are deserving of the player of the year and pitcher of the year as well as 1st team All Conference.  The list does not have to be complete, but based on the games you have seen and the teams you have seen, who do you feel is deserving of such accolades?

Here is my list:

All conference honors:

JCU:  Dorring (P), O'Brien (P), Heringshaw (3b), Spagna (1b), Sabitino (2b)
Ott:  Wes Meadows (Util), Ellis (p), Kettering (SS)
BW: Toughey (OF), Zimmerman (2b)
Mount Union: Morino (3b), Carlino (p) Knott (1b)
Marietta: Toth (c), Grilliot (of), Byers (p), Geers (OF), Finlan (p), Hopper (OF)
Wilmington: H. Justus (Util)

While I have not seen John Carroll and Mount Union in person this year, those names stick out to me from the results I've noticed.  Honestly, I couldn't tell you anything about the kids from Northern or Heidelberg.  Capital, Muskingum, and Wilmington were pretty bad looking baseball teams when I saw them.  Justus stood out as being a decent ball player playing on a rather poor team.

Pitcher of the Year (If I got to vote): O'Brien from JCU.  His numbers are just sparkling. 
Player of the year (If I got to vote): Toth from Marietta.  I think when you look at the total game, both offensively and defensively, you would be hard pressed to find one better.  He is fielding .994 (one error all year), He is hitting .431 with a .608 SLG.  Opponents are 9-17 trying to steal against him—teams don't try to run on him. 

At the end of the day, I think the coaches will vote O'Brien and Meadows who does it all:  Pitches, Catches, Drives the bus...

So who do you see as being worthy of all conference consideration and player and pitcher of the year?



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 07, 2013, 03:13:41 PM
Quote from: jos s on May 07, 2013, 01:06:25 PM
Case will have to continue to gain respect on the diamond, since it is clear it cannot amongst poll voters. not sure how marietta can go up after 2 tough losses at home to a team with the highest SOS in the region....yet Case cannot break into the top 25 after those wins.

The polls don't matter. Case will get their respect in the regional selections and seedings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on May 07, 2013, 09:08:29 PM
My favorite current Marietta player Alex Toth has only struck out 6 times in 130 at bats.  Few runners try to steal on him, rarely misses a game behind the plate and has worked his way to the OAC  leading batting average as well as an outstanding defensive catcher( 5 errors as a Soph, none as a Junior, and 1 as a Senior) helping his team win back to back World Series Championships.  He has my vote if I had a say in the matter.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 08, 2013, 02:23:58 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on May 07, 2013, 09:08:29 PM
My favorite current Marietta player Alex Toth has only struck out 6 times in 130 at bats. 

Not really relevant, but interesting factoid about Toth: he has not struck out swinging this season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: badgerwarhawk on May 08, 2013, 12:42:18 PM
Hey have you guys heard that Larry Kehres retired?  ;)
Vince is the new head dude. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2013, 01:18:31 PM
Quote from: badgerwarhawk on May 08, 2013, 12:42:18 PM
Hey have you guys heard that Larry Kehres retired?  ;)
Vince is the new head dude.

Who??  Haha.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: badgerwarhawk on May 08, 2013, 08:55:30 PM
Oops, wrong forum.  DOH!!!!!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 09, 2013, 08:21:58 AM
The OAC tournament starts today.  I am fortunate enough to be able to play hookie and watch the games.  Here is what I'm interested in seeing today.

Carlino vs. O'Brien

I'm always excited to see Marietta play, but I have to be honest, I'm just as interested to see this pitching matchup between these two guys this year.  I didn't get to see either in the regular season as Marietta traveled to both University Heights and Alliance, so this intrigues me more than a little. 

Both guys have been very good throughout the season.  Their numbers are first team all OAC worthy. 

Carlino:  8-1, 59 IP, 5 CG's.  ERA 2.59.  6.86 K's/9,  WHIP:  1.237
O'Brien:  4-1, 40.2 IP, 1 CG.  ERA 1.33.  6.64K's/9 WHIP: 1.008
Just in case JCU starts Dorring in game 1, the matchup is still very intriguing!
Dorring:  5-0, 53.1 IP, 0 CG.  ERA 1.86.  8.61 K's/G WHIP 1.18

Neither of JCU's starters appear to be "go the distance" type guys.  So it may come down to the Streak's bullpen.

Side note All the more reason to do away with the 7 inning game.  How many of Carlino's starts have been in the seven inning game this season?  Same with some of the other "ace" pitchers in the league.  Post season games are all nine inning games.  I'm so glad the OAC is going to two nine's next season!

Is Otterbein a paper tiger?

A few weeks ago, Otterbein came to Marietta and had their heads handed to them in a big way.  They lost game 1 5-1 and game 2 10-1.  Otterbein faced Marietta's #3 and #4 starters in the series.  Wes Meadows was 1-6 on the day (although the "1" was a home run in the late innings of the nightcap).  In 16 innings the Cardinals combined for 6 total hits (4 in game 1, 2 in game 2).  Marietta will most likely throw Jason Byers (2.75 ERA, 75.1 IP, 5.97 K's/9 WHIP 1.13) today.  Otterbein's starter is anyone's guess (they have three guys who have started 8, 1 who has started 9. the innings pitch is fairly equal between all four, too).  Last weekend against BW, they started Meadows in game one and Ellis in game two. 

Can Marietta find a Shortstop who can be consistent on Defense?
Shortstop has been an adventure this year.  The two young men who have played a majority of the innings this season have a combined fielding pct of .880 (26 total errors).  Errors have been costly this season. 

How badly will the weather wreck havoc on the tournament schedule.

Today is a beautiful day for baseball.  Tomorrow and Saturday? Not so much.  Plenty of rain in the forecast for the next two days will have the schedule in chaos at some point.  Tarp on, Tarp off may be a regular occurance over the next few days.  Fortunately (I guess) this has been a very dry spring in SE Ohio.  So the field can probably take a fair amount of water without being a total disaster.  (Unlike a couple of years ago when they had to bring in special equipment to dry it out for the OAC tournament then the regional. 

This may be the best top to bottom OAC tournament in a few years.  JCU and Marietta have deep pitching staff's and in the end I look for it to come down to those two teams.  Marietta is basically playing for their seed in the Regional.  The rest of the field must win to get in as they don't have the pool C resume necessary to grab one of the 14 spots.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2013, 09:29:39 AM
The fan in me says Mount can make some noise.  Carlino gives you a chance against any of the other 3 teams.  And if he beats JCU and they play Etta next Clarke lost to them earlier this year, but pitched very well for a long stretch against them.  He gave up 1 unearned run on 4 hits over the first 6 innings.  I'd take that again in a heartbeat.  It was just that 7th he got into some trouble.  But Clarke has been pitching well lately so I'd at least feel like they had a shot.  Plus I saw that Mathis was 3-4 with a 3B against Behrend Tues. so I have my fingers crossed that he's seeing the ball well right now.

The objective part of me thinks that this is just a middle of the road team with one great arm right now.  They lost to Behrend, who is pretty good, but AGAIN they just cannot win non-conference games because without their top 2 guys going lots of innings they just don't have consistent pitching right now.  And the odds of their lineup scoring a lot (especially against good pitching) is very low.

Nothing would make me happier than for that last paraghraph to be 100% wrong!  The softball girls went in as the 3 seed and won it last weekend.  Maybe the baseball team can do the same!  A little LK retiring magic perhaps? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2013, 02:49:12 PM
Looks like a rain delay at Schaly.  1-1 in the bottom of the 5th.  Byers and Collier both looking good so far.  Byers has done a good job combating Ott's couple of good scoring chances with timely strikeouts (including a little seen K, throw to first for the out and back to home to nail a guy trying to score from 3rd on the play).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2013, 04:56:23 PM
Things are about to get very interesting on the River.  Ott defeated Etta 7-1 in game 1 of the tournament.  Cydrus came in to pitch when play resumed and has obviously been very good. Byers did not return either.  Brockmeier relieved him.  The big blow was a bases clearing double to center by Kettering to break the 1-1 tie.

Start time for Mount/JCU is listed as 5pm on the Etta website, but I'd have to think it'll be pushed back a little since the first game just ended.
   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 09, 2013, 05:07:32 PM
Kudos to the cardinals. They got off the bus ready to play and took it to Marietta.

Byers was throwing as well as I've seen all year before the delay. Just too long to sit and wait.

Marietta has to be better at the plate tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 09, 2013, 06:25:12 PM
So far in game two, two outstanding outfield plays by both teams.

JCU right fielder guns a guy out trying to go first to third (and almost got the guy trying to advance to second)

Mountedt fielder guns a guy at the plate after catching a line drive.

Baseball when played well is beautiful.

The pitching matchup is living up to the expectations. Both have been able to get out of jams. Both have labored at times.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2013, 08:35:12 PM
Mount couldn't do much off of O'Brien, but they did exactly what they needed to...stay close and get to the pen.  Down 3-1 the Raiders scored 6 in the top of the 8th and went on the win it 7-3.  I love the scrappiness.  And great job by Ceriani tossing 3 hitless innings of relief to get the W.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 09, 2013, 09:13:27 PM
Ceriani was outstanding. Jcu's pen was a hot mess.

Bad defensive decisions compounded the problems too.

Lee Grosscup made a number of sparkling plays tonight, too

The big story of tomorrow will be the weather. The forecast looks rough.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2013, 08:22:36 AM
Day two Story lines...

Weather

Right now, the radar picture looks pretty good for a while here in Marietta.  A little shower went through early this morning and there is a big 'ol green blob coming up through Tennessee and southwestern Indiana.  How soon it gets to our little corner of the state is anyone's guess. I won't be caught in the stands without my umbrella today (unlike yesterday!).

Expecting the unexpected

I never expected the top two seeds to be in the losers bracket facing elimination against each other.  I thought Mount had a chance to win yesterday and I discounted Otterbein way too much.   both of the lower seeds got the job done.  Now what?  Will Otterbein get another solid pitching performance?  Can Mount Union continue with timely hitting?   

Tough Spot

JCU and Marietta are each in a tough spot.  Both facing elimination in just their second game (Reminds me of the 2010 regional when Marietta and Wooster suprisingly ended up in the losers bracket after the first day).  Dorring vs. Mulvey will be interesting.  Mulvey struggled mightily in his last outing.  He stood on his head at JCU a few weeks ago and matched Dorring inning for inning.  Unearned runs were his undoing.  He has to do the same today or it's 2 and bbq for the Etta Express.

Don't be surprised if...

Evan Brockmeier moves from first to short, and Marietta gets an extra bat in the lineup.  The defensive drop off would be minimal.  But Marietta is struggling a little at the plate right now.  A move like this could help boost the offense.  (I love being an armchair fan).

They only get two games in today.  The weather forecast is not very good for today or tomorrow.

Marietta makes a quick exit from the tournament.  Yesterday's performance was less than desireable. If they are suffering from a "hangover" it could be an ugly exit.

Otterbein advances to the championship with a win.  (They have yet to throw Ellis and Meadows who both have solid numbers!)  They were super aggressive yesterday and it worked well most of the time. 

This tournament field is as good as it has been in a long time. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: jos s on May 10, 2013, 09:30:22 AM
i guess my question is....if marietta goes out of the tourney today....do they make the regional playoffs ?     i guess a silly question when they lost 2 last weekend, and moved up in the top 25, and stayed #1 in the region.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2013, 10:17:04 AM
Marietta is in regardless, I think.  Their In region win pct,  SOS and record against regionally ranked opponents.  If they lose the first game they are at .735 win pct.  Their SOS rank is 26th in the country, and second in the region behind Case. And their record against regionally ranked opponents would be 7-5.  Win game one and lose game two, it improves all of those factors. 

I would not consdier them to be a "bubble team" by any measure used in the criteria.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: tigerfan_2001 on May 10, 2013, 10:31:10 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2013, 10:17:04 AM
Marietta is in regardless, I think.  Their In region win pct,  SOS and record against regionally ranked opponents.  If they lose the first game they are at .735 win pct.  Their SOS rank is 26th in the country, and second in the region behind Case. And their record against regionally ranked opponents would be 7-5.  Win game one and lose game two, it improves all of those factors. 

I would not consdier them to be a "bubble team" by any measure used in the criteria.
when has the #1 ranked team in a region not gotten a bid?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2013, 11:10:44 AM
Meadows vs. Clarke is the pitching match up this morning.  Scoreless after 1 inning.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2013, 11:37:55 AM
Very quick 3 innings.  0-0 and only 1 hit for each team.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2013, 12:08:29 PM
Meadows is pitching well but mount isn't seeing it very well right now.

The missed hit and run here in the fifth for mount may loom large for he raiders.

Talk about your lucky bounces. Ball hit to second near the bag, ball hits off the second baseman and bounces to the shortstop covering who turns the double play.  Gets mount out of a major jam in the sixth

Right guy in the right situation. Mounts leading hitter comes up with runners at second and third. Fails to come through. Meadows escapes an inning.

Defensively speaking. Lee grosscup from mount is impressive.

Wow. That ball was crushed. Walk off fashion. Bad pitch up and over the plate.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2013, 12:16:55 PM
A couple of clutch 2-out singles plate single tallies in the 4th and 5th.  2-0 Otterbein.  Mount kind of ran themselves out of a potential inning as Ettafan said.  Can't get 3 guys on base and come away empty too often when you're not getting many baserunners in the first place.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2013, 01:16:18 PM
Wow!!  Pinch hit, walk off 3 run homer by Jeff Bennett wins it for Mount. Unbelievable. 4-2 final.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 10, 2013, 01:25:36 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2013, 01:16:18 PM
Wow!!  Pinch hit, walk off 3 run homer by Jeff Bennett wins it for Mount. Unbelievable. 4-2 final.

awesome!! soak it in; there is nothing better than postseason drama at Schaly Stadium. Congrats Mount!!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2013, 02:02:37 PM
First rain delay. Before anyone takes the field.

they are going to start the game at 5:00 7:30 between Marietta and JCU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 10, 2013, 06:01:35 PM
Rain is a break for OTT. If they had had to come back tonight with their #4, I don't like their chances.

Now they could bring back their Game 1 guys tomorrow at least for part of the game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 02:08:46 PM
Etta and JCU still tied 7-7 heading to the 11th.  Etta had the leadoff man on in the 10th but the Streaks left him at 2nd.

I'm interested to hear from anyone at the game because the radio guys thought the JCU runner didn't tag up on the diving catch that tied the game in the 9th. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 11, 2013, 02:46:55 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 02:08:46 PM
Etta and JCU still tied 7-7 heading to the 11th.  Etta had the leadoff man on in the 10th but the Streaks left him at 2nd.

I'm interested to hear from anyone at the game because the radio guys thought the JCU runner didn't tag up on the diving catch that tied the game in the 9th.
I was watching the video and I think he tagged, the question was for me was if he left early which you can't tell from the webcam. The radio guys were watching the catch and have no idea whether he tagged or not.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 11, 2013, 02:58:16 PM
JCU scored 3 in top of 13th due to some pretty sloppy baseball by Marietta, then gives up 4 in bottom of the 13th to lose on a throwing error at 3B to allow the winning run to score.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 06:17:04 PM
Otterbein eliminates Etta. I believe 10-8 was the final. Championship game in 30 minutes.  Let's go Raiders!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 11, 2013, 06:31:27 PM
Otterbein came out aggressively again today.

One of the things which was a strength all season for Marietta turned out to be an Achilles heel of sorts. Starting pitching. Neither mulvey or Finlan had good days today.  Unfortunately it was the undoing of this club this afternoon.

I'm fairly confident Marietta will be in a regional. Whether it is terre haute or somewhere else remains to be seen.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 07:07:51 PM
Interesting stuff.  Powell starts Collier who started 2 days ago (69 pitches) and Hesse starts Ceriani (who threw 3 innings of relief yesterday morning).  According to Mount SID Lenny Reich who is calling the game on the radio Hesse went with Ceriani because he has great command and he wanted someone throwing strikes out of the gate.

Mount uses a single, a 2 base error on a pick off attempt and a ground out to take a 1-0 lead after 1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 11, 2013, 07:13:27 PM
I don't know why OTT didn't just start Cydrus. He was on a roll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 07:27:03 PM
I'm not sure how long Cydrus could have gone.  He threw 70+ pitches 2 days ago.  How many innings did he throw today?  The box score isn't up yet.  I'd think he could have given them at least a couple more innings though.

Still 1-0 after 3 innings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 11, 2013, 07:29:58 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 07:27:03 PM
I'm not sure how long Cydrus could have gone.  He threw 70+ pitches 2 days ago.  How many innings did he throw today?  The box score isn't up yet.  I'd think he could have given them at least a couple more innings though.

Still 1-0 after 3 innings.

Less than 2 I think. He'll pitch tomorrow, guaranteed if there is a tomorrow (which is the point, there is no tomorrow if they don't win today). Not sure what the difference would have been whether you get 6 from him tomorrow or today.

Collier's going to go 5-6 today I bet, so obviously that's not the issue. My guess is they run out of gas at some point anyway. The rain really played to their advantage and they always get excited to play Marietta but are unable to sustain it against other teams. Been that way as long as Powell's been there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 07:46:11 PM
Quote from: forheavendial4999 on May 11, 2013, 07:29:58 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 07:27:03 PM
I'm not sure how long Cydrus could have gone.  He threw 70+ pitches 2 days ago.  How many innings did he throw today?  The box score isn't up yet.  I'd think he could have given them at least a couple more innings though.

Still 1-0 after 3 innings.

Less than 2 I think. He'll pitch tomorrow, guaranteed if there is a tomorrow (which is the point, there is no tomorrow if they don't win today). Not sure what the difference would have been whether you get 6 from him tomorrow or today.

Collier's going to go 5-6 today I bet, so obviously that's not the issue. My guess is they run out of gas at some point anyway. The rain really played to their advantage and they always get excited to play Marietta but are unable to sustain it against other teams. Been that way as long as Powell's been there.

I wonder if they'll use Porretta this game for 3-4 innings.  He used to be a starter so I'm sure he can stretch it out and give them some innings.

You're right though, Ott is obviously at a severe disadvantage pitching wise.  Mount has 2 guys (Murzynski, Bekelesky) who were OAC rotation guys who haven't even pitched yet.  Their closer Brandon Bell I don't believe has pitched yet either so they have a lot of fresh arms that have thrown OAC innings. 

Funny you say that about getting up to play Etta and not being able to sustain it.  I watch them more than any team every year and I always marvel at how they can be so locked in and look great one day and look bad and borderline disinterested another day.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 07:47:22 PM
Ricky Olasz comes through with a 2-run single.  3-0 Mount after 4.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 07:53:14 PM
Mount pitches to Meadows with first base open.  Meadows singles and drives in 2.  3-2 in the 5th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 08:02:17 PM
Meadows steals 2nd and scores on a single.  3-3 now.  Mount needs to get something going to get momentum back.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2013, 08:54:20 PM
Powell finally pulls Collier after 7.2 innings and what had to be 130ish pitches (I think Lenny said 120 a couple batters ago). 

5-3 Mount After Olasz hits a clutch 2-out triple to center to score the go ahead run and then scores on a single to add the insurance run.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2013, 10:56:11 AM
Congrats to Coach Hesse and the program.  They used the most proven path....good pitching, good defense and timely hitting.  I knew that Carlino would give them a good chance to win, and as I said, Clarke was throwing well too, but they allowed 9 runs total in 3 games against pretty good teams.  Not even a biased fan like me expected that type of effort.  Ceriani and Sasson were great out of the pen. 

Ricky Olasz was named tournament MVP after he went 7-11 with 2 doubles, a triple and 6 RBI.  4 of those RBI came in the 7th inning or later including the huge two out triple in the bottom of the 8th that drove in the go ahead run in the championship game.  Olasz has been moved around the lineup a lot.  I know he was hitting lead off for a while.  I believe he has been slotted in the 2 and 3 spot a few times.  But the 9 hole, where he hit this weekend, seems to be his most effective spot. 

I said before the tournament started that no one would be happier to be 100% wrong and I never have been more pleased.  I thought this team was good when Carlino pitched and average when he didn't.  But they proved that they can get good pitching from other arms.  And more importantly they proved they have the mettle to win close games under pressure.

I've questioned some things Hesse has done over the years, but there is not a better guy coaching college baseball.  He is just a genuinely nice person.  He isn't married.  Those kids ARE his family.  I couldn't be happier for him because I know he's so proud of his "sons".  He definitely deserves it.  Congrats Coach!   

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 12, 2013, 11:17:44 AM
Agree with all. Hopefully the two OAC teams go to different regionals so I can root for both. :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2013, 10:42:44 AM
Congratulations to Zach Carlino for being named the Tekulve Award winner!  He has been an absolute workhorse for Mount all year. 

Meadows wins POY.  What can you say about that kid other than he literally does everything for them.  Kid was an excellent player for a long time for Ott.  THe rest of us are happy to see him graduate! 

I was a little bummed that Morino didn't get 1st Team, but I agree with the selection of Herringshaw.  He's really good.  If I can only pick one guy I'd have to go with Herringshaw as well. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 13, 2013, 11:15:46 AM
Can't disagree with the selections for POY and Pitcher of the year.  Congratulations to both Meadows and Carlino.

1st Team.
C - Alex Toth (MAR)
1b - Jimmy Spagna (JCU)
2b - Mark Sizmmerman (BW)
3b - Mitch Herringshaw (JCU)
SS - Sean Kettering (OTT)
OF - Jordan Grilliot (MAR)
OF - Aaron Hopper (MAR)
OF - Brendan Toughey (BW)
UT - Wes Meadows (OTT)
DH - Steven Morse (HEID)
P - Jason Byers (MAR)
P - Zach Carlino (MTU)
P - Mike Mulvey (MAR)
P - Patrick O'Brien (JCU)
P - Andrew Doring, (JCU)

The interesting thing which stands out, 7 of the 15 first team honorees are seniors.  Of the seven, FOUR are from Marietta.  This is gonna be a very tough conference over the next couple of years. 

2nd team:

C - Alex Grove (Heid)
C - Cory Martin (ONU)
1b - Evan  Knott (MTU)
2b - Bobby Sabatino (JCU)
3b - Bryan Gregorich (MAR)
3b - Anthony Morino (MTU)
3b - Brad Gugliotta (BW)
SS - Mark Huddle (JCU)
OF - Taylor Branisel (CAP)
OF - Alex Green (BW)
OF - Jack Lamarca (ONU)
UT - Evan Brockemeier (MAR)
P - Mike Finlan (MAR)
P - Anthony Lapaglia (JCU)
P - Austin Price (ONU)

Three seniors on the second team, two of whom are from Marietta. 

Honorable Mention

C - Jordan Martin (HEID)
2b - Joe Staab (HEID)
SS - Brett Roberts (Musk)
OF - Dan Belliveau (ONU)
OF - Nate Cambell (CAP)
OF - Mitch Geers (MAR)
OF - Justin Jakubik (MTU)
OF - Connor Marrero (JCU)
Util - Hunter Justus (WILM)
P - Taylor Ellis (OTT)
P - Robert Fravel (CAP)
P - Ben Glichinski (ONU)
P - Ethan Holt (HEID)
P - Dominic Poretta (OTT)
P - Pat Havens (BW)

The thing which stands out to me about the honorees is the amount of young talent and returning talent for teams not named Marietta.  Mount and JCU would appear to have strong foundations for next year.  BW has some young guys.  This is going to be a very tough league going forward.  Congratulations to all of these young men.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2013, 11:38:41 AM
Mount should be in good shape as they don't have a senior on the roster.  Next year they will have someone who has been All-OAC at every position except 2B and C. 

I think JCU will be in great shape again next year as well.  With BW back in the mix it'll be very tough to even make the OAC tourney.  There are going to be some solid ball clubs in this conference that's for sure. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 19, 2013, 03:15:05 PM
Just wanted to kind of put a bow on this season for Mount (and the OAC, I suppose)....

Obviously this season didn't end how I wanted as a Mount guy.  But man, I never thought there was a chance that I'd even have the opportunity to be disappointed about a Regional outcome this year.  They rebounded from a tough opener and battled their a$$es off against IL Wesleyan.  Exactly what I expected from this team.  What a ride that was the last week of the season, the OAC tourney and this week.  So fun and so unexpected.  Throw in Carlino winning the Tekulve Award and Hesse being COY and it's safe to say that was the best year in the program's history.  They return the entire roster next year.  Undercover is the fact that I think Clarke emerged as a legit #2 guy by the end of the year.  He pitched really well down the stretch, especially in the OAC and NCAA games.  If Murzynski can regain the form that landed him at 9-2 and 1st team All-OAC in 2012 their rotation should be VERY strong.

Etta showed why they're who they are.  They lose a ton of talent off of a two-time NC team, they finish 3rd in the OAC tourney...and they STILL make it the Regional finals.  They just always seem to rise to the occassion in the NCAA tourney.  It seems like Woo takes some heat on the NCAC board for possibly underachieving in the tourney.  They've made deep runs coming within a blink of a title, but they also hadn't won a NCAA game in a number of years I think I read.  I think that's something that differentiates Woo and Etta.  Whatever Etta's talent tells you they should do in the Regional they will play a level better than that.  At least.  I've said before they're the Gold Standard of DIII baseball and they are.  Their "down" teams win 30 games and go to the Regional finals.  That's a program headliner for 99% of us.  And Byers emerged as the heir apparent to that "next great one" title.  The assembly line rolls on.

Ott deserves a tip of the cap too.  I'm hard on them because I just see them too much I think.  It's the OAC.  If I watched anyone as much as I watch Ott I'd think they're worse than they are.  I just happen to live 15 minutes from campus and end up watching a lot of Cards' games.  Because of that I see the slumps, the bad outings, etc.  They played well in the OAC tourney and had a very real chance to have been the ones at RHIT.  It's going to be rough to replace Meadows next year.  He's just a huge void both in the lineup and on the hill.

Cap and ONU both showed some teeth this year.  No more lay up sweeps when you play those two.

BW definitely seemed like they had position players.  Their question mark is going to be pitching next year, IMO. 

I'll let motorman speak on Berg.  I'm interested to hear his thoughts on them going forward.  I did not see them at all this season, but it seemed like they just never clicked offensively for any extended period of time.  Holt was hurt some.  Thomas was hurt some.  Minteer was decent, but not great.  It just seemed like things snowballed on them a little this season.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 19, 2013, 05:18:16 PM
Not much to say about Marietta -- very good hitting, young pitching. Lot of potential there. Byers showed some of his in the tournament, hitting another level IMO. Some of the other FR haven't quite gotten there yet. This could be a great staff in a year or two. Hopefully they all come back -- always hard to tell about that in D-III.

Still losing a lot this year -- 7 seniors. Going to be a lot of competition for spots between now and next year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 19, 2013, 10:16:45 PM
Berg was quite an enigma this year. The loss of 2 of their top pitchers for a month seemed to really take  the wind out of their sails after an impressive 10 games in Florida and taking 2 of 3 from the eventual regional champs. If Minteer bounces back from an off year and Thomas stays away from hard hit comebackers, they will have a pretty impressive staff with the freshmen from this year who showed me quite a bit. The offense was spotty after the first third of the season, but it should only get better as the only senior position player was Jordan Martin, who had his best offensive season. Alex Grove caught close to if not more than half the season, so he should step into that role full time. The biggest question mark has to be finding a dependable glove for third base.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 20, 2013, 11:25:24 AM
I like Grove.  Stark County bias of course, but hey, I'll take kids from Central all day.  Miller is a good coach.  Brechun didn't work out too badly for Berg.  Grove will be good too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 20, 2013, 12:10:04 PM
Congrats to Wes Meadows being named Mideast Region POY.  Always good to see an OAC guy win it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 20, 2013, 01:28:28 PM
I guess. I think it should have been Murphy and he's not even first team.

He proved in the regional that his numbers are not a product of their schedule. He's legit.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 21, 2013, 05:31:22 PM
I don't participate in the awards selection process on D3baseball.com but I know from dealing with the logistics that nominations are at the end of the regular season, as with our other sports/sites. Voting took place in a very tight time frame between end of regular season and regionals.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: forheavendial4999 on May 21, 2013, 05:35:53 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on May 21, 2013, 05:31:22 PM
I don't participate in the awards selection process on D3baseball.com but I know from dealing with the logistics that nominations are at the end of the regular season, as with our other sports/sites. Voting took place in a very tight time frame between end of regular season and regionals.

OK...perhaps they should be between regionals and the Series? There's not a whole lot happening right now, as opposed to after the selections come out there's a lot more, as well as the debate about selections...and in a shorter timeframe.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 24, 2013, 01:54:07 PM
Congratulations to the OAC guys on the All-American teams:

1st Team:  Meadows, Ott

2nd Team:  Toth, Etta

HM:  Spagna, JCU and Toughey, BW
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 11, 2013, 11:17:21 PM
So Haley resigned at Wilm a month ago.  They hired Asst Coach Dan Cleaver as the new HC last week. All I can say is good luck with that. It's no secret that Wilm doesn't exactly flood athletics with support. Hell, for years Haley had a job outside of Wilm. Tough to compete like that when other schools have a HC and an Asst who work on campus full-time.  Throw in sub par facilities and it's not a recipe for success.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 20, 2013, 07:43:49 PM
Congrats to Zach Carlino who tossed the first CG shutout in Syracuse Salt Cats history this week.  Carlino has made 2 starts in the NYCBL.  1-0, 15.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 11 H. 

Also glad to see Connor Mathis hitting pretty well up there (.333).  He's 10 for 30 in 11 games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on July 07, 2013, 11:03:23 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on June 20, 2013, 07:43:49 PM
Congrats to Zach Carlino who tossed the first CG shutout in Syracuse Salt Cats history this week.  Carlino has made 2 starts in the NYCBL.  1-0, 15.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 11 H. 

Also glad to see Connor Mathis hitting pretty well up there (.333).  He's 10 for 30 in 11 games.

Congrats to Zach Carlino for being named to the Second Impact All Star team for the New York Collegiate team.

http://nycbl.com/files/uploaded_documents/813/2013_all-star_selections_-_All-star_Selections.pdf
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on July 12, 2013, 11:52:18 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on June 11, 2013, 11:17:21 PM
So Haley resigned at Wilm a month ago.  They hired Asst Coach Dan Cleaver as the new HC last week. All I can say is good luck with that. It's no secret that Wilm doesn't exactly flood athletics with support. Hell, for years Haley had a job outside of Wilm. Tough to compete like that when other schools have a HC and an Asst who work on campus full-time.  Throw in sub par facilities and it's not a recipe for success.

I believe Haley worked for ODOT for a number of years and retired from that job not long ago. 

He was an interesting pregame interview prior to their game with Marietta College.  He wouldn't stop talking!

Cleaver has a monumental task just to get the Quakers competitive.  I'm not sure what value Wilmington brought to the conference when they replaced Hiram.  They are not close to any other schools, and are not particularly competitive in the bigger sports. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on July 12, 2013, 10:59:17 PM
Chris Thomas of Heidelberg is 2-0 in 6 starts for the Chillicothe Paints of the Prospect League. He is among the league leaders with a 1.50 ERA, .178 BA Against and a 1.0 WHIP. In 30 innings he has 15Ks and 12BB.

Jack Peck of Depauw is 2-1 in 6 starts for the Paints. he has an ERA of 2.53 in 32 innings pitched with 25Ks and 9BB.

Ben Glishinski of Ohio Northern is 0-1 in 6 appearances, 5 starts for the Paints. He has a 4.76 ERA in 22 2/3 innings with 17Ks and 16BB.

Zach Mathie of Wooster is hitting .319 with 4HR and 12RBI in 32 games and was selected to the mid season All Star team from the Paints.

Alex Grove of Heidelberg played 6 games for the Paints and hit .059

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 15, 2013, 10:40:40 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on July 12, 2013, 11:52:18 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on June 11, 2013, 11:17:21 PM
So Haley resigned at Wilm a month ago.  They hired Asst Coach Dan Cleaver as the new HC last week. All I can say is good luck with that. It's no secret that Wilm doesn't exactly flood athletics with support. Hell, for years Haley had a job outside of Wilm. Tough to compete like that when other schools have a HC and an Asst who work on campus full-time.  Throw in sub par facilities and it's not a recipe for success.

I believe Haley worked for ODOT for a number of years and retired from that job not long ago. 

He was an interesting pregame interview prior to their game with Marietta College.  He wouldn't stop talking!

Cleaver has a monumental task just to get the Quakers competitive.  I'm not sure what value Wilmington brought to the conference when they replaced Hiram.  They are not close to any other schools, and are not particularly competitive in the bigger sports.

At the time they came over they were good at football.  Unfortunately it turned out to be largely linked to Adam Ryan at QB and they've been dismal ever since.  They're always pretty good at hoops.  But at this point I think we can all agree that replacing Hiram with Wilm was not an upgrade.  Just based on geography alone they'd have been better off if Hiram was still around. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 19, 2013, 12:06:12 PM
Update on the Mount guys in NY:

SS Lee Grosscup has played in 31 games.  He's hitting .312, good for 2nd best on the team.  He's also 2nd on the team in OBP and slugging.  His 6 2B and 3 3B are both team highs.

OF Connor Mathis is also 2nd highest on his team hitting .348 in 33 games.  He leads the team with 6 2B.

P/1B Zach Carlino has started 5 games throwing 29 innings.  He's 1-1 with a 4.34 ERA.  At the plate he is hitting .263 in 22 games.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on August 11, 2013, 11:31:32 AM
The Prospect League is just about done, the Chillicothe Paints lost 2 games to none in the first round to the defending League Champion West Virginia Miners.

Heidelberg SR Chris Thomas was 2-0 in 7 appearances, all starts. 32 2/3 IP, 1.60 ERA, 19Ks, 14BBs, .191 OBA, 1.09 WHIP
Depauw JR Jack Peck was 2-1 in 6 appearances, all starts, 32 IP, 25 Ks, 9BBs, .250 OBA, 1.22 WHIP
Ohio Northern SO Ben Glischinski was 2-1 in 10 appearances, 9 starts, 40 2/3 IP, 31Ks, 24 BBs, .252 OBA, 1.53 WHIP

Wooster SR Zach Mathie hit .298 in 51 games with 5 HR and 22 RBI and was a mid season All Star selection

There were a couple of other NCAC players (Depauw) that played with Richmond in the Prospect League, but I am not ambitious enougn to post their stats here.

Looking forward to fall baseball and a much better year in the Berg.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on August 11, 2013, 02:23:06 PM
Nick Eltzroth from ONU played in the Valley league for the Covington Lumber Jacks

Pitching: 0-1 in 8 games, all in relief, 13 innings pitched, 4.15 ERA, 12 k's, 4 BB, .302 BAA, and a WHIP of 1.54.

He also batted in a few games but not enough to give e representative sample.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on August 11, 2013, 02:29:00 PM
Quote from: motorman on August 11, 2013, 11:31:32 AM
The Prospect League is just about done, the Chillicothe Paints lost 2 games to none in the first round to the defending League Champion West Virginia Miners.

Heidelberg SR Chris Thomas was 2-0 in 7 appearances, all starts. 32 2/3 IP, 1.60 ERA, 19Ks, 14BBs, .191 OBA, 1.09 WHIP
Depauw JR Jack Peck was 2-1 in 6 appearances, all starts, 32 IP, 25 Ks, 9BBs, .250 OBA, 1.22 WHIP
Ohio Northern SO Ben Glischinski was 2-1 in 10 appearances, 9 starts, 40 2/3 IP, 31Ks, 24 BBs, .252 OBA, 1.53 WHIP

Wooster SR Zach Mathie hit .298 in 51 games with 5 HR and 22 RBI and was a mid season All Star selection

There were a couple of other NCAC players (Depauw) that played with Richmond in the Prospect League, but I am not ambitious enougn to post their stats here.

Looking forward to fall baseball and a much better year in the Berg.

I posted these on the NCAC board, but since they were brought up, here are the numbers for the two on the River Rats.
Name               POS     College Team                             League               W  l  S ERA
Michael Chiaro:    P      Depauw  Richmond River Rats    Prospect             1  6  0 5.28
Alexander Sroka:  P     Depauw  Richmond River Rats     Prospect            0  1  0 148.50 *Alexander only pitched .2 innings so these numbers are skewed.

There were several NCAC players in the Great lakes and PGCBL as well. If you interested those numbers are posted on the NCAC board.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on October 04, 2013, 12:47:51 PM
Off to watch game 2 of the Berg Fall Series and then the baseball banquet tonight. Not a big believer in reporting on what's happening in fall scrimmages, but can see some positives to take into the spring. Can't believe that after they finish Sunday it is 5 long cold months till we get baseball back in Florida. Guess the rumored big fall scrimmage against a D1 school fell through.

Also heard rumor of a rotation pitcher from Marietta from last year transferring. Anybody from down south that can confirm?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on October 06, 2013, 09:03:22 PM
Only got in 4 innings Friday before the downpour hit. Did want to tell Dr. A that Berg has a freshman catcher from his alma mater that hit a grand slam in the game Friday. Freshmen definitely look to be bigger physical specimen than the past year. Hope it translates to more production at the plate this spring. Time to hibernate now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on October 06, 2013, 10:34:27 PM
Good to hear you guys got some innings in. No go in Delaware. They had a game yesterday though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 07, 2013, 11:23:41 AM
Quote from: motorman on October 06, 2013, 09:03:22 PM
Only got in 4 innings Friday before the downpour hit. Did want to tell Dr. A that Berg has a freshman catcher from his alma mater that hit a grand slam in the game Friday. Freshmen definitely look to be bigger physical specimen than the past year. Hope it translates to more production at the plate this spring. Time to hibernate now.

Nice!  I'm assuming it's Swan.  Never seen him play, but he seemed like a nice player from following their games online last year.  Hopefully he has a good career in Tiffin.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on October 26, 2013, 12:41:00 AM
Berg has revamped athletic web page up and it includes baseball schedule except for Florida games. Interesting to note the OAC games start a week earlier than last year. Results in only 2 midweek OAC series as long as weather doesn't get as crazy as last season. Probably part of the reason, so that we don't have teams playing 6 league games in 4 days like this year.

Mount also has partial schedule up. Sucks for them that one of their midweek league DHs is Marietta after playing Berg the previous weekend.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on October 26, 2013, 02:41:42 PM
Glad to see OWU on the schedule again!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 28, 2013, 10:27:28 PM
Same old same old for Mount's OoC. W&J, Behrend, Thiel, Hiram, Allegheny, Witt, Westminster.  They generally play a lot of the same teams every year.   The cool thing is they're hosting St. John's (MN) for 2 days.  Definitely not everyday a MIAC team stops by.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on October 29, 2013, 10:40:02 PM
Marietta roster is up, 15 upperclassmen 21 Freshmen(11 of them show as pitchers)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on October 31, 2013, 08:55:47 PM
3 lefty hitting Fr catchers has to be a record.

Looks like they want a FR to take the catcher job. Winpigler listed as 1B primary.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on October 31, 2013, 10:42:17 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on October 29, 2013, 10:40:02 PM
Marietta roster is up, 15 upperclassmen 21 Freshmen(11 of them show as pitchers)
I see rumor I heard is true, Byers has moved on.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 01, 2013, 10:52:07 AM
Looks like 2 Seniors, and 6 Juniors. Josh Ungerbuehler is back, Son team played him last summer. He DH'd and played some outfield. I never saw him behind the dish.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 01, 2013, 11:21:29 AM
The princes Roster is up as well:

http://athletics.heidelberg.edu/sports/bsb/2013-14/roster

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 01, 2013, 03:46:03 PM
Small class for the Polar bears:

http://www.onusports.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/roster

Looks like only two. But last years class was pretty large.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on November 01, 2013, 07:08:53 PM
Quote from: motorman on October 31, 2013, 10:42:17 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on October 29, 2013, 10:40:02 PM
Marietta roster is up, 15 upperclassmen 21 Freshmen(11 of them show as pitchers)
I see rumor I heard is true, Byers has moved on.

found out Byers is working to regain eligibility for Spring Semester at Marietta
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on November 01, 2013, 11:52:48 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on November 01, 2013, 07:08:53 PM
Quote from: motorman on October 31, 2013, 10:42:17 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on October 29, 2013, 10:40:02 PM
Marietta roster is up, 15 upperclassmen 21 Freshmen(11 of them show as pitchers)
I see rumor I heard is true, Byers has moved on.

found out Byers is working to regain eligibility for Spring Semester at Marietta

Not sure the reason he's not on the roster but I do know he's still in school at Marietta. Hopefully he's working hard to get his academics in order and set himself up for after college whether it's in baseball or not.

If he is on the team in the spring, the Etta Express will be very, very good. If he's not, they'll merely be very good! :) Just remember, Austin Blaski and Mark Williams didn't set the world on fire in their freshman years and ended up All-Americans and national champions. Historically, IMO the program's core competence was in player development more than recruiting, but this year it has appears to have recruited very well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on December 25, 2013, 01:31:13 AM
Merry Christmas to all OAC baseball posters. Now that we have that nasty football season out of the way, we are that much closer to Florida and baseball. Let's all ask Santa for a mild spring.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on December 25, 2013, 01:21:42 PM
Merry Christmas motorway. Nice comment.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 03, 2014, 09:14:46 AM
What does everyone think about where Marietta is ranked in the ABCA and NCAA polls? Too low? Too high?

http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/baseball/d3

http://baseballnews.com/collegiate-baseball-div-3-poll-12-24-13/

Any other OAC that did not make the cut but maybe should have?

I know these are only pre-season and do not really mean anything, I just want to get some baseball talk going.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 03, 2014, 10:55:10 AM
Etta definitely has some bats to replace, but with Byers and that other freshman pitcher whose name escapes me they are going to have some good young pitching coming back.  If those two develop like Etta pitchers usually do they'll be a formidable core of the rotation going forward.  Add in that Etta always recruits well and you could see a younger feel to them this year.

IMO no one else in the OAC deserves to be in the top 30 right now.  Berg is coming off a tough season (for them) and trying to get their injuries healed up.  Mount won the conference tourney and returns their entire roster, but they weren't impressive enough record wise or at the regional to merit ranking in a preseason poll. 

I think we're going to see that it's going to be difficult to get multiple teams ranked this year simply because of the parity.  There are just not many flat out bad teams in the OAC right now.  I'm not sure there are any beyond Wilm actually. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 03, 2014, 12:56:07 PM
You must mean Finlan.
Looks like they have picked up a couple of CC guys as well. OWU plays them again this year. I always look forward to that game.
Last year we kept in striking distance for the first 4 or five innings and then the wheels fell off. Our starters were only allowed 4 innings still at that point. We see them a little later in the year and hopefully some of our weekend rotation guys can get the start. Not saying that will make a difference but it would be nice to pitch some of our top pitchers against teams like Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 06, 2014, 03:58:26 PM
Looks like Otterbein has a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, http://www.ekusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3856. The roster is not posted yet, but his College summer team for next year lists his School as Otterbein and he is no longer on EKU's roster.
My son played with him for a summer or two. Kid had some good velocity. But when he was off he was wild.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 13, 2014, 11:00:09 AM
The ranking for Marietta deserves a major asterisk, IMO.  If Byers is academically eligible, then I can see reason for being ranked.  If he is not....

Her are the returning pitchers and the innings they pitched Last Year:

Byers: 98.2 IP (25% of total innings pitched)
Finlan: 48.0 IP (12% of total innngs pitched)
Herstine: 16.0 IP (4% of total innings pitched)
Fulton: 19.2 IP ( 5% of Innings pithced)

Byers (if eligible), Finlan, and Herstine are sophmores, Fulton a Junior. 

Byers was probably the best pitcher on staff last year, and losing him would be a significant blow to the Pioneers, IMO. 

The Pioneers will be depending on a lot of freshman arms this year, this is probably one of the more inexperienced staffs in quite some time. 



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 13, 2014, 11:42:29 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 13, 2014, 11:00:09 AM
The ranking for Marietta deserves a major asterisk, IMO.  If Byers is academically eligible, then I can see reason for being ranked.  If he is not....

Her are the returning pitchers and the innings they pitched Last Year:

Byers: 98.2 IP (25% of total innings pitched)
Finlan: 48.0 IP (12% of total innngs pitched)
Herstine: 16.0 IP (4% of total innings pitched)
Fulton: 19.2 IP ( 5% of Innings pithced)

Byers (if eligible), Finlan, and Herstine are sophmores, Fulton a Junior. 

Byers was probably the best pitcher on staff last year, and losing him would be a significant blow to the Pioneers, IMO. 

The Pioneers will be depending on a lot of freshman arms this year, this is probably one of the more inexperienced staffs in quite some time.
So how does Marrietta handle elibilility. (or any D3 for that matter?) If he still may be able to come back that would tell me that it is GPA (cumilative?) at the time the season starts. So if a Baseball player falls below in the Fall they can work their way back in the spring. so do they then base it on mid-terms etc?

Do different schools/conferences handle it differently?


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 17, 2014, 10:27:40 AM
I couldn't find anything specific on the OAC website.  It just mentions complying with NCAA and OAC eligibility requirements, but my guess is that's in the broadest sense (transfer rules, etc.)  I would guess that it's GPA and also passing a min # of credit hrs.  In my 4 years of playing we never had anyone flirt with being ineligible.  What seemed to happen was the kids who were struggling were Xmas casualties (there in the fall, didn't come back after Xmas once they got their grades for fall).

I just hope Byers gets it figured out for his future beyond baseball.  You never know what circumstances surround these things so I just wish him well.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 17, 2014, 11:44:49 AM
I wish him well as well, OWU has had a few of them, but mostly they were not projected as starters. They sometimes lose some after the Sophomore year as well. Many of the players are there on Academic Scholarships. For the higher shcolarhips, such as the schubert (honors) the student has to have a 3.00 gpa to keep his scholly after his sophomre year. Some students cannot afford to attend with out it. It used to be a 3.5, but a couple of years ago they lowered it to a 3.00.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 17, 2014, 12:24:41 PM
3.5 is high especially if you're in a tough major.  My sister had to keep a 3.5 as a chemistry major and I know she stressed about it a lot (and she didn't play a sport).  I can't imagine doing that while playing baseball.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 20, 2014, 12:06:01 PM
I don't think Marietta's any worse off than Manchester with all they lost. I hope Byers can get things straight because IMO he could get drafted this year if he plays, but if he doesn't, Marietta will be fine as it always is. One thing I like seeing academically is that MC's FR class has 4 petroleum engineering students, including IMO some of the top recruits.

Aside from the incumbent, I've got my eye on John Carroll this year. Doring has Tekulve Award potential, they have a couple other experienced arms that had success last year, and they probably have the top hitter in the conference back in Mitchell Herringshaw among several other key outfield players. Finished 2nd last year, won their last 5 in the conference regular season.

Going to be interesting to see how playing 2 9-inning games affects things. Going to be hard to just give your ace the ball in the first game and get through one game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 20, 2014, 12:59:52 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 17, 2014, 12:24:41 PM
3.5 is high especially if you're in a tough major.  My sister had to keep a 3.5 as a chemistry major and I know she stressed about it a lot (and she didn't play a sport).  I can't imagine doing that while playing baseball.
My son is a ACS chemistry major. I am not sure he could maintain, the 3.5. Fall semester he took p chem, a chem, multi-variable calculus and one easy coarse. He loads up in the fall so he can take easier courses in the spring, and stay on schedule to graduate in time.

Spence I agree Marietta is the team to beat, until they prove otherwise.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 20, 2014, 03:38:02 PM
Quote from: Spence on January 20, 2014, 12:06:01 PM
Going to be interesting to see how playing 2 9-inning games affects things. Going to be hard to just give your ace the ball in the first game and get through one game.

I think this is a key element to the OAC this year.  Who has—or can—develop the Bullpen.  I don't know how other coaches approach pitch count limits, Marietta has seemed to limit pitch counts during the regular season as to not wear a guy down too much.   IF your starter can get you 6-7 innings, then someone is going to have to nail down the last two or three. 

A year ago, the bullpen was a an issue for the Pioneers.  If one of the starters was havinga rough day, games became an adventure.  (Conversely in 2011 and 2012, one of the reasons the Pioneers won championships is because of their bullpen depth.  Yes they had top notch starters, but guys like Langdon, Lewis, and Linquist pitched numerous innings and allowed minimal damage). 

Quote from: Spence on January 20, 2014, 12:06:01 PMAside from the incumbent, I've got my eye on John Carroll this year. Doring has Tekulve Award potential, they have a couple other experienced arms that had success last year, and they probably have the top hitter in the conference back in Mitchell Herringshaw among several other key outfield players. Finished 2nd last year, won their last 5 in the conference regular season.

Agreed.  But I also think Mount Union is going to be very good as well.  I won't count Coach Palm out either.  The injury bug bit him pretty hard last year, so if he can get his guys healthy and keep them healthy they will be in the thick of things too.  BW is a squad who can also make some noise this year.  If not mistaken, they are done with their post season ban, and would have figured into the race last year as well.   

The first five could be in any order:  Marietta, Mount Union, BW, John Carroll, and Heidelberg.   
The next two:  Otterbein and Ohio Northern.
The two after that: Muskingum and Capital.
Try not to forget: Wilmington. 

My prediction: This will be the most closely contested baseball race in many years. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 20, 2014, 04:31:23 PM
Mount has every single kid back from last year.  They should be tough.  And I'm obviously a huge Mount guy, but I think if I remove the rooting interest JCU on paper has to be favored ahead of them in the preseason.  With Carlino they obviously have the ability to beat anyone in the conference when he pitches, but they had a HUGE advantage in that he could go the distance in that first game.  That's diluted now.  And their offense was not great.  Just with Herringshaw and Spagna JCU has an advantage offensively based solely on last year.  A key for Mount is going to be Sam Clarke.  They need him to be healthy.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 20, 2014, 04:34:45 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 20, 2014, 03:38:02 PM
The first five could be in any order:  Marietta, Mount Union, BW, John Carroll, and Heidelberg.   
The next two:  Otterbein and Ohio Northern.
The two after that: Muskingum and Capital.
Try not to forget: Wilmington. 

This looks about right to me.  I'd throw Cap up with Ott and ONU, but that's about it.  I watch the 2 Cbus teams play a lot.  Not much difference there.  BW is done with their ban so it's going to be a dog fight just to make the OAC tourney.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 20, 2014, 08:38:33 PM
Ott has two transfers that I am aware of. The starting second baseman from OWU, last year, Taylor Hutchison. And a pitcher from EKU, Nick Bozman.
The middle infield will probably be Hutchison and Taylor Kent.
We will have to wait and see on Bozman. He could very easy be in the weekend rotation.
I don't think it will put them in the first group. It may move him to the top of the second.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 20, 2014, 08:59:33 PM
Kettering is back at SS.  He's their best player.

Why would a kid transfer from OWU to Ott if he was starting at OWU?  Can't be playing time obviously.  And they're so close geographically.  Maybe George is just that charming?   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 20, 2014, 09:39:37 PM
I cannot speak for the young man, but his older brother played for OTT from 2005 to 2008. So their is a connection their. He also has played with several of the players their during summer travel.

Who knows why young men make the decisions they do some time.

I forgot about Kettering, thanks. I was wrong about Kent as well, he has been playing OF. I am not sure where Taylor will play, I assume he feels he will start somewhere.

Clearly I should have looked at the 2013 stats before speaking up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 20, 2014, 11:21:50 PM
Haha you just had bad luck and picked a position played by the one and only player I knew was back! 

There's definitely opportunity for that kid to start somewhere.  They didn't have a lot of irreplaceable bats out there.  Hope he settles in and has fun. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 21, 2014, 11:52:17 AM
Preseason All-Americans are out, and a number of Mideast region players are on it, but none from the OAC. 2 from W&J alone.

Call me skeptical that W&J has 2 of the dozen best players in the country considering W&J has never even been close to being the best team in the region.

Manchester's Nieman and Wooster's Reese also first team.

Hopefully guys like Winpigler and Herringshaw are paying attention.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 23, 2014, 03:46:02 PM
A look at the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets:

Key Losses:
Brendan Toughey - .410, 161 AB, .490 OBP, .615 SLG, 4HRm 4 3B, 28 RBI, 20 SB.
Nolan Neuschafer - .315, 108 AB, .444 OBP, .556 SLG, 3HR, 6 3B, 13 SB.
Pat Havens, 12 APP, 11 Starts, 67 IP (1), 7.12 K/9, 4.43 ERA
David Redovian, 10 APP, 4 Starts, 37.1 IP (3), 6.03 K/9, 4.3 ERA

Key Returners:
Brad Gugliotta, .383, 133 AB, .481 OBP, .451 SLG,
Kyle Chontos, .298, 131 AB, .466 OBP, .405 SLG, 1 HR, 11 SB
Eric Murphy, .278, 144 AB, .350 OBP, .354 SLG, 9 SB.

BW was 27-13 last year, and 11-7 in the OAC (tied for third) and would have been in the OAC tournament last year. 

They lost their #1, and #3 pitchers (in terms of innings pitched), and their top overall hitter. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 24, 2014, 04:32:37 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 23, 2014, 03:46:02 PM
A look at the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets:

Key Losses:
Brendan Toughey - .410, 161 AB, .490 OBP, .615 SLG, 4HRm 4 3B, 28 RBI, 20 SB.
Nolan Neuschafer - .315, 108 AB, .444 OBP, .556 SLG, 3HR, 6 3B, 13 SB.
Pat Havens, 12 APP, 11 Starts, 67 IP (1), 7.12 K/9, 4.43 ERA
David Redovian, 10 APP, 4 Starts, 37.1 IP (3), 6.03 K/9, 4.3 ERA

Key Returners:
Brad Gugliotta, .383, 133 AB, .481 OBP, .451 SLG,
Kyle Chontos, .298, 131 AB, .466 OBP, .405 SLG, 1 HR, 11 SB
Eric Murphy, .278, 144 AB, .350 OBP, .354 SLG, 9 SB.

BW was 27-13 last year, and 11-7 in the OAC (tied for third) and would have been in the OAC tournament last year. 

They lost their #1, and #3 pitchers (in terms of innings pitched), and their top overall hitter. 

Those are some big losses.  Toughey was a stud.  The most impressive stat to me was the 66 runs scored in 40 games.  If you're scoring more than 1.5 runs per game that's pretty darn good.  I was very impressed when I saw him at Ott last year.  Looked the part for sure.  Just one of those kids that LOOKS like a good athlete.

Havens is a big loss because he was a workhorse.  I'm sure he was not happy with his senior year stats, but make no mistake that kid is a good D3 pitcher.  He really struggled at Ott (as did Redovian), but you could tell he had good stuff just poor location that day.

I don't know enough about their gas tanks, but Alioto and Capadona looked like they had starter's stuff to me.

The other thing to keep in mind is Yost might be back too after missing last year due to injury.  He is an All-OAC caliber bat too.  And my opinion of soph Mark Zimmerman is well documented on here.  I think he's going to have a very good year.  I think BW might have the best lineup in the conference top to bottom.  Pitching is a big question mark though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 24, 2014, 07:48:44 PM
Palm steps down after the season. Fitzgerald to take over.

http://athletics.heidelberg.edu/sports/bsb/2013-14/releases/palm

Palm will now be AD full time.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 24, 2014, 09:45:44 PM
Not surprising. It's tough to be AD and HC without an Asst AD to carry the load. His Asst AD is Hallett. No way Mike has time to do much administrative work.  Football is 365 when you're trying to play at a national level like Berg.  But Hallett probably needs the title to pay him what they need to.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 24, 2014, 09:47:47 PM
Also, I hope Berg gives Palm one last run this year. He deserves it. He literally built that program from nothing.  Truly the blueprint for how to do it right.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 24, 2014, 11:05:39 PM
Truly not sure how to feel about this or what to say. Bears quite a similarity to when Roger Ingles made the same move at Ohio Wesleyan. Makes me wonder what Heidelberg has coming up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 24, 2014, 11:06:45 PM
I agree with both your comments Dr. Son was recruited by Palm. He really knows what he is doing. I am sure Fitzgerald will do fine.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 25, 2014, 08:07:54 AM
Spence, from the sounds of that release he's going to focus quite a bit on fundraising to improve things there. That football stadium on campus has been a big push for them. I'm sure that continuing that momentum to upgrade across the board is a major reason for this move. Berg has always been one of the "have nots" in terms of financial backing for athletics.  Maybe they see this as their window to try to change that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on January 25, 2014, 08:55:52 AM
I think another factor in this move is that his oldest son is in high school now and he would like to actually see him play. I do hope they make his last season memorable.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 25, 2014, 08:18:25 PM
After 4 straight conference titles, Heidelberg has lost 10 of their last 12 to Marietta. Had to be deflating to have that success, feel like maybe you've surpassed the Etta Express, then have Marietta win back to back national titles.

Until last year, the last 3 times that Heidelberg hadn't won the OAC, Marietta won a national title.

Like I say, reminds me of when Roger Ingles had his heart ripped out in 2002 in the best chance they were ever gonna have. Their program hasn't been the same since then.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 26, 2014, 08:16:05 AM
Quote from: motorman on January 25, 2014, 08:55:52 AM
I think another factor in this move is that his oldest son is in high school now and he would like to actually see him play. I do hope they make his last season memorable.

Palm must be living right because he looks like his oldest kid should be in about 3rd grade. Haha.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 26, 2014, 08:24:11 AM
I remember playing OWU back in the 99-01 range in FL and they were ranked in the top 5.  Problem is Drew Caravella isn't walking through that door.  Kid like that doesn't end up OWU more than once.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 26, 2014, 03:51:05 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 26, 2014, 08:24:11 AM
I remember playing OWU back in the 99-01 range in FL and they were ranked in the top 5.  Problem is Drew Caravella isn't walking through that door.  Kid like that doesn't end up OWU more than once.

They had a lot more than him though. Rice and Loudenslager were both very good players...Rice I think was a transfer from BG. Tyler Mott was an excellent two-way player. They could hit all up and down the lineup. They had pretty solid pitching when they weren't playing Marietta with Moenter, Farmwald, Busch, Mott. They just couldn't figure out a freshman named Justin Papania that specialized in beating them. His first win came against them in a game in Marietta when OWU scored 7 in the first and threw all 4 of their top 4 pitchers, yet improbably lost 13-10. Thing about that was that there were only 3 pitchers on the dugout card that night and the other two didn't get through the first inning. Papania, and all 2 career innings, was it -- it was him or bust. Then Paps got two wins against OWU in the regional.

That 2002 team didn't win the championship but they were a special, special bunch. Their goals never changed, even without the most accomplished pitcher in D-III history. They're one that you look back and say "how *did* they do it? Just a really mentally tough group I think, great reflection of their coach.

3 years later, Ingles moved to AD after OWU failed to make the NCAC tournament. 3 years after Berg's trip to Appleton, Palm announces he's moving to AD after they failed to make the OAC tournament.

As far as a guy like Caravella only coming through once, you might say the same for Ricky Lizcano or Andy Lowe.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 26, 2014, 06:49:28 PM
That's a good point about the similarities between that OWU group and the Berg group. Right down to being able to hit 1-9 (or at least 8) and having the guys around Lizcano (Brechun, Lash, etc.) that were also very good.  I saw that Berg group play numerous times and that's going to be hard to duplicate. Just a special group. 

OWU is odd in that you could argue that with Allegheny and Wooster being as good as they were then that the Bishops should have an easier time being an NCAC power today.  Those Gheny teams back then were no joke.  You had three powers at once. Now they have one. The difference is the conference is better top to bottom now.  DePauw is a good addition. Deegan will have Denison good in no time.  That conference is a solid baseball league.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 26, 2014, 09:25:34 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 26, 2014, 06:49:28 PM
That's a good point about the similarities between that OWU group and the Berg group. Right down to being able to hit 1-9 (or at least 8) and having the guys around Lizcano (Brechun, Lash, etc.) that were also very good.  I saw that Berg group play numerous times and that's going to be hard to duplicate. Just a special group. 

OWU is odd in that you could argue that with Allegheny and Wooster being as good as they were then that the Bishops should have an easier time being an NCAC power today.  Those Gheny teams back then were no joke.  You had three powers at once. Now they have one. The difference is the conference is better top to bottom now.  DePauw is a good addition. Deegan will have Denison good in no time.  That conference is a solid baseball league.

I think the OAC is better than the NCAC right now, and really for the most part has been for quite a while. Back in those days once you got past the top NCAC programs, it was bad, and you played them 4 times a weekend rather than just twice, so their lack of depth would really show up.

2011 was a really interesting year. Berg was coming off their 2010 breakthrough and I remember telling Jim Dixon and probably others something like "I'm not saying Heidelberg isn't the favorite, but I *really* like how things are looking for Marietta this year." I just felt like Marietta had the higher-ceiling guys, and that the BBCOR wouldn't affect them as much since they didn't depend on the HR for offense and played in a big ballpark already. That was supposed to be Heidelberg's best team ever, and instead Marietta won a championship. Then you lose a ton of guys and struggle for two years...has to be tough to take for a guy as competitive and emotionally driven as Palm.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 26, 2014, 10:20:08 PM
Oh I definitely agree the OAC is and has been better.  I think the middle of both conferences has improved though.  To me the difference though is that while the chances of Etta and Wooster just steamrolling the entire conference like they used to nearly every year are rare today it's for different reasons.  I think Wooster has slipped a little recently and thus drifted back to the pack.  Etta hasn't slipped so I think the OAC has improved with now probably 2-3 pretty good programs every year outside of Etta. Those 2-3 change, but someone will be good besides Etta every year these days.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on January 26, 2014, 11:00:05 PM
The NCAC is definitely deeper than it was. Kenyon isn't rotten anymore, Oberlin is improved, Earlham has been gotten rid of, DePauw has been added...though they did add Hiram which is not a help. Wooster has 17 seniors this year, so if they can't return to dominance this year, I don't know when they can.

The OAC? Eh, I dunno. Depends on when you're talking about. Otterbein won the OAC in 2006 when Marietta won the national title. Before they and Heidelberg got it together, there was a pretty long stretch of dominance for Marietta, and before that, the OAC was really good with Schaly, Fishbaugh, Strayer and Fisher all in the league. In i think it was 83, OTT and MAR played in the national championship game and Marietta didn't even play in the conference tournament championship game!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 27, 2014, 09:08:54 AM
First off I was a little surprised in hearing of Coach Palm's decision to relinquish his duties as head coach after this season.  He made the OAC better, period. He took a program which was downright awful, and didn't just make it competitive, he made 'berg a contender year in and year out.  No other team has even been close to being a consistent contender for the top spot in the league year in and year out.  Thibeault and Hesse have been at JCU and Mount Union for quite some time, and while those teams have made the OAC tournament, neither sniffed a regional until last year when Mount Union got there by winning the OAC tournament.  George Powell at Otterbein had some success a few years ago, but hasn't been been able to maintain it.  Prior to 2013 and During Palm's tenure,  I think (not 100% certain) the only OAC schools to make it to a regional were Marietta, 'Berg and Otterbein.  And the only two to make it to the D3 Series were Marietta and Heidelberg.  Those were also the only other schools to win the regular season championship and host the OAC tourney.   

I've said this before, Palm and Brewer seemed to have different goals in mind when the season started than the rest of the league.  The rest of the league seemed to strive for one of the four spots in the OAC tournament.  Palm and  Brewer seemed to start the season with their eyes on the top spot, a birth in the regional, and a trip to Appleton. 

His success created a good and intense rivalry with the Pioneers.  He had his eye on taking down the best, and he was successful a few times in doing so.  One thing was certain when Marietta and Heidelberg got together on the diamond, it was intense.  The on-field blow up between Palm and Brewer during the regional championship game in 2011 showed just how intense it had become! 

I wish the best to Coach Palm, but it is sad news for OAC baseball to hear of him stepping down following the season.

Secondly, it makes me wonder, if Wooster has 17 seniors this year, will this be Coach Pettorini's last year at the helm?  He isn't a "spring chicken" and Wooster has struggled in post season play in the past few years.  If he has that many kids graduating after the season, you kind of wonder if he might make his curtain call.
 


 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 27, 2014, 09:49:51 AM
Edit: Spence beat me to most of this but here is my take anyway.

I agree the OAC is better and has been for a long time. Wooster has slipped back, but part of that was they were playing a lot of young guys. If any year has a chance to be their year, it is now. They have 17 seniors in this class. They should have some depth. The one problem you have with comparing data points between the two schools is the format the teams use for conference play. With the NCAC playing 2 double headers on Saturday and Sunday, the number one starter is often not available for mid week games. Speaking form recent events, when OWU has played Marietta or Heidelberg in the last few years, they were facing at best OWU's fourth starter.

I am not claiming that the out come would have been different if OWU had started their one or two guy, but there is a possibility. Of coarse this does not take the spring break games into consideration, because OWU had every chance to line up their number one guy against Marietta but did not.

Again I think the OAC is better. In the NCAC we will see if Oberlin can continue to improve or fall back. Hiram is Hiram. I am hopeful for OWU but I will have to wait to make any predictions.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 27, 2014, 01:36:00 PM
Depending on when an OAC school plays a NCAC school you may or may not see the OAC schools #1/2 guys either.  If there is a weekend OAC double header or a mid week game coming up, and you are seeing Marietta, for example, you'll likely get either a guy down the rotation or Johnny Wholestaff getting 2 maybe three innings each.   

For example,  Last season, Marietta played WOoster in between a double header with JCU on the 21st of April, and prior to a DH with BW on the 27th.  Marietta started Herstine, who was probably the #5 or 6 guy in the rotation.  Yes Brockmeier and Mulvey got a couple of innings each.

One of the interesting things about the midweek non conference series for any school is you get to see some younger, less experienced pitching.  I'm not sure how many of those work out to be 2-1 pitcher's duels!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 03, 2014, 05:53:18 PM
Every year I hope it changes and it never does...Mount is always soooo conservative about their roster.  They won't post it until the week they leave for FL.  Okay, that may be a stretch, but not by much.  I mean, the kids have been back from Xmas break for weeks now.  Isn't it safe to say who is and isn't on the team by now? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 03, 2014, 06:32:07 PM
Same thing at OWU, we won't see the roster for a few weeks yet probably.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 04, 2014, 11:05:42 PM
Jason Byers officially back on the Marietta roster. Good job putting in the work, and good on the staff for demanding that.

Young man has a great opportunity at the school, as everyone does. Glad he's working to take advantage.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 05, 2014, 08:11:58 AM
And this isn't like when Katzenmoyer took AIDS Awareness and Intro to Golf at Ohio St.  Byers had to take actual college courses.  Good job getting things squared away in the classroom.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 05, 2014, 10:39:22 AM
Always good to hear, when a young man, puts the work in and gets the job done.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 05, 2014, 01:33:25 PM
Quote from: Spence on February 04, 2014, 11:05:42 PM
Jason Byers officially back on the Marietta roster. Good job putting in the work, and good on the staff for demanding that.

Young man has a great opportunity at the school, as everyone does. Glad he's working to take advantage.

This is significant for Marietta College, IMO.  Without him, their chances of winning a strong OAC conference regular season were small.  He threw 1/4 of the innings pitched last year and was outstanding in doing so.  He is an All-OAC caliber player who can anchor the rotation. 

Glad he got it together enough to give himself a chance to compete and continue on to his degree for life after baseball. 





Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 05, 2014, 05:56:14 PM
I think Byers could end up being draftable at some point. LHP over 6-feet that figures to throw around 90 as soon as this year.

So I'm really glad that he has preserved the opportunity for that to happen.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 07, 2014, 03:15:14 PM
A look at the Pioneers for 2014

3 Sr's - 0 Pitchers - 3 Position players
6 Jr's - 1 Pitcher - 5 position players
10 So's- 4 Pitchers  - 6 Position players
16 Fr's - 6 Pitchers - 10 Position Players

Of note: 

The experience of the pitchers returning:
Jason Byers (SO) - 17 app, 14 GS.  2.37 ERA, 98.2 IP, 77K
Mike Finlan (so) - 10 app, 7 GS. 3.75 ERA, 48.0 IP, 19 K
Christain Herstine (SO), 4 app, 2 GS 6.75 ERA, 16.0 IP, 6 K
Mike Fulton (JR), 15 App, 5.95 ERA, 19.2 IP, 14 K

No other pitchers on the roster have game experince at Marietta College.

Offensively/Defensively, Key returners:
Chris Winpiggler (JR)- 1b/DH - .461, 2 HR, .697 SLG
Mitch Geers (JR)- LF/1b/DH - .355, 0 HR, .471 SLG
Josh Ungerbuehler (SR) - C/OF/DH - .306, 3  HR .463 SLG
Christian Demko (JR) - SS - .253
Ryan Hannahan (JR) - SS - .226
Of note, these two shared time at short stop and combined for 27 errors last season
Tyler Packinik (SO)- 2b .236
Zack Buckewicz (SR) -2b .214

Biggest Concerns: 
Shortstop--The two returners who manned that spot most of the year last year struggled a lot on defense and even more so at the plate.  The two combined to commit 27 errors, and neither hit over .250.  It will be interesting to see if a freshman challenges either of the two returners for significant chances at short.
Catcher--I've had more than one person tell me that Winpiggler had a better arm than Alex did (and very few people were able to successfully run against Toth), but I've also heard, there are no plans to put Winpiggler behind the dish.  This is a very young, very inexperinced pitching staff.  Finding a catcher who can step in and handle that staff is going to be singificant. 
Pitching--Talk about youth and inexperience.  Byers and Finlan were starters as freshman.  Herstine looked good a few times, but was roughed up a few times too.  I imagine freshman are going to be counted on heavily for innings. 

Marietta opens their season on March 1,2 with 2 games against Anderson and 2 against Depauw. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 07, 2014, 06:59:27 PM
Is 98- 100 innings usual for a marietta starter or did they just lean a lot on Byers. Or did a lot of those innings come in the post season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 08, 2014, 01:09:53 PM
98 was actually second on the team behind Mulvey who had just over 100. They tend to lean heavily on their top two guys. I would expect that number to be similar with the way they have built the schedule. There are only two mid week league series this season. That means #1 and #2 will get a log of work with plenty of rest thigh the week.

Also have to remember that Marietta went Deep into the regional where both Mulvey and Byers had more than one appearance so that also helps tompilemup innings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 08, 2014, 04:18:49 PM
Thanks for the response Etta. I knew the post season added innings. I forgot how far the express went.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 09, 2014, 09:30:22 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 07, 2014, 03:15:14 PM

Biggest Concerns: 
Shortstop--The two returners who manned that spot most of the year last year struggled a lot on defense and even more so at the plate.  The two combined to commit 27 errors, and neither hit over .250.  It will be interesting to see if a freshman challenges either of the two returners for significant chances at short.
Catcher--I've had more than one person tell me that Winpiggler had a better arm than Alex did (and very few people were able to successfully run against Toth), but I've also heard, there are no plans to put Winpiggler behind the dish.  This is a very young, very inexperinced pitching staff.  Finding a catcher who can step in and handle that staff is going to be singificant. 
Pitching--Talk about youth and inexperience.  Byers and Finlan were starters as freshman.  Herstine looked good a few times, but was roughed up a few times too.  I imagine freshman are going to be counted on heavily for innings. 

Marietta opens their season on March 1,2 with 2 games against Anderson and 2 against Depauw.

I would add 3B to this. Gregorich was the best def 3B I've seen at Marietta in 20+ years. I have a very hard time believing his replacement will be as good in that area. What would be nice is if Hanahan could play 3B and Demko SS. That would be ideal, IMO. I think Demko will get better and if he ends up being the starter, that's not that bad. I think maybe we got a little spoiled by Tim Saunders, but Demko's numbers last year weren't all that different from Tim's first year as a starter. 3B is where I'm wondering if there will be anyone, or just hoping for a Justin Steranka-like good hitter/poor fielder to play there, much as I dislike that in general.

It could be that Winpigler has a strong arm but his pop time isnt' that good? One of Brew's specialties is working with catchers, and he's pretty much always had a good one, so I really don't worry too much about that. That and they recruited about 5 of them. I have my guess as to which one will win out, but the program hasn't traditionally been about spotlighting FR so I'll keep it under my hat for now.

Also think MC has at least one very good pitching prospect among the FR, and overall they and Case Western recruited most of the half dozen or so Ohio players that were on Perfect Game's all-region honorable mention (1st and 2nd team are all scholarship and mostly D-I). Not that PG is the beginning and end, but usually making that list is a pretty decent indication that you showed at least something as a prep. MC has definitely had guys come in and develop into stars that were well under that radar, though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 17, 2014, 01:10:07 PM
Less than 2 weeks away from Mount opening their season in FL.  Took a look at the schedule down there.  Again this year it looks like a decent, but not overly challenging slate.  They are playing 7 different teams none of which are ranked or receiving votes in the top 25 (nor did they in the final 2013 poll either).

Rose Hulman is usually pretty good, but they are coming off a rough season (15-24).  Other than them they have Aurora (IL) who seems to always have a good record (25-13 last year and better than that the couple yrs prior), but they rack up a ton of wins in that conference every year so I'm not sure if that means much at all.  Trine is decent usually too.  The others look average to not-so-good.  It definitely looks like a schedule they should win 8+ games against.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 17, 2014, 03:10:00 PM
Though the roster for Mount Union isn't particularly current, there are some interesting things to consider from last year, and here are some of my questions about the Raiders...

Pitching wins Championships: Do they have enough quality?--Carlino is a quality #1 guy.  He was 8-2 (if memory serves, one of the losses was in the regional), and put up decet numbers last year, 3.34 ERA, 70 IP, Opp Avg: .285, 1.47 WHIP (which includes HBP as a walk).  But after that, #2-the rest did not have particularly sparkling numbers.  Clarke, Murzynski and Bekelesky all have stats which will not make you sit up and take notice.  Murzinski's numbers in 2011 and 2012 (at least his ERA) were better as a freshman and sophomore than his Junior campaign.  I think this is a critical piece of the puzzle for Mount Union in 2014.  Pitching will be a key step to doing more than 2 and BBQ in a regional. 

Can Connor Mathis be a major factor again?  In other words was last year an abberation for him.  After being a contender for Player of the year honors in 2012, he kind of disappeared in 2013. 

Is 2014 the year, the Raiders show they are a real force in the Mid-east region or just another decent OAC team?  This is a team which is loaded with vetran talent.  They are returning a lot of experienced young men from a fairly successful season a year ago.  It looks to be a situation where the Mount faithful would be saying "This is our year." 

the conference schedule is "unkind."  They get Marietta at home, have to travel to John Carroll, BW, Otterbein, and Heidelberg.   So of the 5 "contenders," they get to play 4 on the road....Unkind is maybe a little understated...

the overall schedule is moderate  They play W&J, PSU-Beherend (two regional teams fom last year).  Allegheny, Wittenberg, Thiel, Hiram (really? an intrasquad scrimmage would be better), and Westminster after coming back from Florida .  (Games with St Vincent and Waynesburg in florida, the Raiders can sneak in the back door as the PrAC conference champs ;D - just joking).  Sadly there are no games with teams like Wooster, Case Western, Ohio Wesleyan, or even LaRoche (who has been in the regional lately).  This sets up well for a good record, but depending on the criteria for regional selection, it may not be particularly helpful if the raiders are unable to win the Pool A Bid.

I still believe Mount Union is one of the three or four primary contenders for the regular season conference crown.  A lot of quality experience returns, and it is a senior laden team.  If the pitching depth improves, they could be hosting the OAC tourney come May.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 17, 2014, 05:04:01 PM
Thanks for the Props for OWU, Etta. I was hoping that OWU and MU would play each other this year, but it looks like it was not meant to be. We do play Heidelberg, Marietta, Ohio Northern John Carroll, Muskingum and Capital. I had hoped we would trade Muskingum for Mount this year. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 17, 2014, 10:05:50 PM
My thoughts added in purple (of course).  Haha.


Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 17, 2014, 03:10:00 PM
Though the roster for Mount Union isn't particularly current, there are some interesting things to consider from last year, and here are some of my questions about the Raiders...

Pitching wins Championships: Do they have enough quality?--Carlino is a quality #1 guy.  He was 8-2 (if memory serves, one of the losses was in the regional), and put up decet numbers last year, 3.34 ERA, 70 IP, Opp Avg: .285, 1.47 WHIP (which includes HBP as a walk).  But after that, #2-the rest did not have particularly sparkling numbers.  Clarke, Murzynski and Bekelesky all have stats which will not make you sit up and take notice.  Murzinski's numbers in 2011 and 2012 (at least his ERA) were better as a freshman and sophomore than his Junior campaign.  I think this is a critical piece of the puzzle for Mount Union in 2014.  Pitching will be a key step to doing more than 2 and BBQ in a regional. 

Clarke has to emerge as the #2.  His summer ended early due to an injury so hopefully he is healthy.  They need him to be.  I think Murzynski is better than he pitched last year, but banking on another season like 2012 is a lot.  I think he falls somewhere in between.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Ceriani in the 4 man rotation for conference play over Bekelsky.  Both guys can do both though which is nice.

Can Connor Mathis be a major factor again?  In other words was last year an abberation for him.  After being a contender for Player of the year honors in 2012, he kind of disappeared in 2013. 

Mathis played pretty well this summer in the NYCBL.  He hit around .340 in 120+ at bats.  As with Murzynski I think asking for 2012 Mathis is too much, but he's definitely much better than he played last year.


Is 2014 the year, the Raiders show they are a real force in the Mid-east region or just another decent OAC team?  This is a team which is loaded with vetran talent.  They are returning a lot of experienced young men from a fairly successful season a year ago.  It looks to be a situation where the Mount faithful would be saying "This is our year." 

I'm excited about 2014.  This team has talent and confidence.  But I also try to temper my optimism by remembering this team went 23-18 last year.  Not really overwhelming.  They came up big in the OAC tournament when it counted, that's for sure.  But I certainly don't think it's a given that they'll even MAKE the OAC tourney this year.  They aren't good enough to give away games in conference play.  I think it's just going to be too much of a log jam.


the conference schedule is "unkind."  They get Marietta at home, have to travel to John Carroll, BW, Otterbein, and Heidelberg.   So of the 5 "contenders," they get to play 4 on the road....Unkind is maybe a little understated...

the overall schedule is moderate  They play W&J, PSU-Beherend (two regional teams fom last year).  Allegheny, Wittenberg, Thiel, Hiram (really? an intrasquad scrimmage would be better), and Westminster after coming back from Florida .  (Games with St Vincent and Waynesburg in florida, the Raiders can sneak in the back door as the PrAC conference champs ;D - just joking).  Sadly there are no games with teams like Wooster, Case Western, Ohio Wesleyan, or even LaRoche (who has been in the regional lately).  This sets up well for a good record, but depending on the criteria for regional selection, it may not be particularly helpful if the raiders are unable to win the Pool A Bid.

I don't love Hiram, but they play them every year.  Portage County isn't far so it's always going to be on the schedule.  The western PA teams will be too for the same reason.  The one that should be is Wooster.  That's probably only an hour drive so it should be added without question.  Ever since Walsh went DII that easy schedule filler went away.

I still believe Mount Union is one of the three or four primary contenders for the regular season conference crown.  A lot of quality experience returns, and it is a senior laden team.  If the pitching depth improves, they could be hosting the OAC tourney come May.

Agreed.  I think JCU is the favorite on paper.  After them I think Mount, Etta, BW and Berg are all capable with Ott being next.  The Cards just have a lot to replace in Meadows and Cydrus.  If their transfers work out they could jump right up there too though.  It's going to be a battle every DH this year.  Should be awesome though.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 18, 2014, 01:03:38 AM
One thing we don't know in a lot of cases is how the change to a 9 inning first game is going to affect the balance of power.

I know Marietta feels the longer the game is, the more chance the better team has to win (and of course they think that's usually going to be them). They also have an ace that has clearly proven he can go 9 strong if asked. Carlino I don't think has ever done that. Doring for JCU has (against Marietta), but that was his only outing longer than 6 1/3. And honestly, I think those are the only three teams that have the pitching to win the league. B-W could but only if the stars align beyond Alioto -- I think Capadona could have a better year than last and Cichocki had very good numbers in limited action. Heidelberg has as few pitchers back as Marietta, but they don't have a Byers or a track record of practically always having and developing pitching like Marietta does. Also have no idea what thye have coming in, as their roster isn't updated. Marietta has several FR that at least on paper, seem like they can pitch.

Especially during the part of the season when there are midweek conference games, finding that guy that can either pitch between starts or be a relief workhorse could be the difference between winning the conference and well, not.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 18, 2014, 11:58:06 AM
Bullpens are going to be significant this year.  A year ago for the Pioneers that was not a strength, rather it was a weakness.  I think at times it forced the staff to stick with the starters longer than they should have (Mulvey had a couple of starts that went a few innings longer than they likely should have).  They had injuries and a number of relief guys quit during the year, and few failed to earn the confidence of the coaching staff to be used on a regular basis.   

Relief pitchers may be the unsung heroes of the OAC this year.  A closer who can throw an inning or two, along with a set up guy(s) who can throw the 7th & 8th in those games will be very important.   So many people want to point to the starting pitching for Marietta in 2011 and 2012, but the real key to that year was the bullpen of Langdon, Lewis and Linquist.  Those three guys were simply outstanding in both seasons!

I think one of the things I will be watching is how well the bullpens fair this year for the contenders in the OAC (as well as some of the teams in the region). 




Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 20, 2014, 08:22:16 PM
Season starts tomorrow!  Good luck to JCU against Case in the opener.

Looking around the conference and everyone has their 2014 roster up...except Mount.  Most schools have had them up for weeks now.  Mount is unveiling theirs at Lake Myrtle #2 evidently. 

I couldn't help but notice Wilm has the smallest freshmen class (5) and the smallest roster (22).  The Quakers only have 3 kids listed as strictly pitchers.  When there are only 22 of you I guess everybody needs to play multiple positions though.  As always, it seems to be tough sledding down there.

BW only has 9 freshmen listed which surprised me a little.

Everyone else fell where you'd expect ranging from 13 to 19 new kids. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 21, 2014, 05:02:22 PM
JCU jumped out 4-1 in the 4th, but ended up losing to Case 8-7.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 21, 2014, 05:49:44 PM
The OAC website doesn't even have the 2014 schedule up yet?  I'm beginning to think between the rosters and schedule I'm just too demanding or something.  I must be a high maintenance D3 baseball fan.  Thankfully we can count on this site for the composite schedule.  Thanks, Pat!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 22, 2014, 07:27:05 PM
JCU splits with Allegheny today in WV.  12-6 Streaks then 12-2 Gators.

BW got knocked around in their opener by Shawnee St. 9-0 this morning too.  They went on to drop the nightcap against Concordia (MI) 5-4 as well.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 22, 2014, 07:29:28 PM
Cap also lost 2-1 to Brandeis in their opener in FL today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 22, 2014, 11:44:35 PM
Quote from: Spence on February 18, 2014, 01:03:38 AM
One thing we don't know in a lot of cases is how the change to a 9 inning first game is going to affect the balance of power.

Heidelberg has as few pitchers back as Marietta, but they don't have a Byers or a track record of practically always having and developing pitching like Marietta does. Also have no idea what thye have coming in, as their roster isn't updated. Marietta has several FR that at least on paper, seem like they can pitch.

Especially during the part of the season when there are midweek conference games, finding that guy that can either pitch between starts or be a relief workhorse could be the difference between winning the conference and well, not.

Heidelberg's roster has been updated since Christmas. They should have a healthy Chris Thomas if he doesn't take another line drive off the hand this year. Zach O'Driscoll should be back after 2 injury plagued years to build on his solid freshman year. Adam Manner and Kyle Fluharty did good things last year and should be big for Berg this year along with several other freshmen who were thrown into the fire last year.

Berg lost Ethan Holt and Tyler Fruhwirth to graduation and Ryan Minteer transferred. Minteer and Fruhwirth both struggled badly last year and Holt was hurt as much as Thomas. Very few other D3 programs would have been able to end up at .500 as Berg did last year with those problems encountered with their top 4 pitchers. Hopefully it will pay dividends this year with all the experience freshmen like Fluharty, Sniezek and Huber got last year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on February 23, 2014, 04:32:45 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 21, 2014, 05:49:44 PM
The OAC website doesn't even have the 2014 schedule up yet?  I'm beginning to think between the rosters and schedule I'm just too demanding or something.  I must be a high maintenance D3 baseball fan.  Thankfully we can count on this site for the composite schedule.  Thanks, Pat!

Our schedule is missing a game here and there but 99% should be there with any changes added as the season progresses.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 23, 2014, 10:29:36 PM
Cap evens their record at 1-1 with a 16-4 win over SUNY Maritime.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 24, 2014, 04:29:09 PM
With the basketball tournament set to begin, it made me wonder about an adjustment to the baseball tournament.  In basketball the top two seeds automatically get bye's to the semifinals.   

Hypothetically speaking, what if they expanded the baseball tournament to six teams.  Letting #1 and #2 get a first game bye.  3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5, with the winners playing the top two.  Still keep the double elimination format. and go something like this....

Weds
Game 1: #3 vs #6
Game 2: #4 vs #5
Game 3: L1 vs L2 (elimination Game)

Thurs
Game 4: W1 vs. #2
Game 5: W2 vs #1
Game 6: L4 vs L5 (elimination Game)
Game 7: W6 vs. W3 (elimination Game)

Fri
Game 8: W4 vs. W5
Game 9: L8 vs. W7 (elimination game)


Sat
Game 10: (championship): W7 vs W9
Game 11: if necessary.

I realize costs are a concern (more umpire fees, more hotels, more meals, etc. etc. etc.) and this is purely hypothetical.  I think this makes for a more interesting tournament, and involves more teams.  4 games in one day is an issue if there are no lights at the field. 

I think this could be an interesting format, though. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 24, 2014, 04:32:35 PM
Schaly has lights, so not a problem. They host every year anyway, right? ;) Just kidding all, I know there are some other very good teams that can host in any year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2014, 05:33:17 PM
If they were doing that 6 team format the one tweak I would make is to have the #1 seed play the lowest remaining seed in case the 6 wins game 1.  I'm a proponent of the regular season champ getting every reasonable advantage.  They earned it after 18 conference games. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2014, 05:57:15 PM
Cap picked up a solid win over Franklin today. 7-6 final.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 24, 2014, 07:34:44 PM
Good win for cap and the OAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 25, 2014, 02:48:18 AM
Not a fan of the bigger tournament. 40% of the conference already gets in as it is, 6 team and you'd have teams with a losing record that haven't earned a chance at the NCAA tournament playing for that chance.

Lowest record I can remember being 4th is 9-9. To have a chance at the NCAAs, you should have to at least make it to .500, and the way things are, you pretty much do, if not quite a bit better.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 25, 2014, 06:07:08 PM
Cap continued their tour of the HCAC with a 6-5 win over Hanover today.  Good to see them off to a 3-1 start.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 26, 2014, 04:37:57 PM
Marietta Cancels with Depauw and ANderson

Now Case/Dennison/Marietta will each play two games on Saturday.

Case and Marietta will play a DH on Sunday. 

Marietta now has scheduled...

2 games against Wooster (regional participant in 2013)
2 games against LaRoche (regional Participant in 2012)
1 game with W&J (regional participant in 2013)
1 game with Webster (CWS participant in 2013)
1 game with Farmingdale St (regional participant in 2013)
1 game with Salem State (regional participant in 2013)
2 games with Dennison
1 game with OWU


5....FIVE games with CWRU (regional participant in 2013).

Stuck in the present i guess,  sorry for the error in dates.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 26, 2014, 09:43:01 PM
Hey etta, When did you start reading the future?  ;)  :o I sure thode teams will be happy to know they are making it to the regionals and the cws. Wooster will be disappointed though , this is the year pettorini is shooting for the CWS this year.

In all seriousness though. That is a buzzsaw of a schedule. Good for them, I will do everything I can to see the OWU Marietta game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 26, 2014, 10:05:17 PM
Mount has their roster up!  My complaining can end.  Not many local kids so not much input from me there.  I am excited to see where Austin Cooper figures into things though.  He was a stud on the mound for a very good Austintown Fitch team last year.  Mount doesn't land many pitchers with his resume so good work on the recruiting trail with that one. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 26, 2014, 10:08:30 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on February 26, 2014, 04:37:57 PM
Marietta Cancels with Depauw and ANderson

Now Case/Dennison/Marietta will each play two games on Saturday.

Case and Marietta will play a DH on Sunday. 

Marietta now has scheduled...

2 games against Wooster (regional participant in 2014)
2 games against LaRoche (regional Participant in 2014)
1 game with W&J (regional participant in 2014)
1 game with Webster (CWS participant in 2014)
1 game with Farmingdale St (regional participant in 2014)
1 game with Salem State (regional participant in 2014)
2 games with Dennison
1 game with OWU


5....FIVE games with CWRU (regional participant in 2014).

EttaFan, You predicting the 2014 regionals? Think you mean 2013. Also, LaRoche didn't make regional in 2013, it was 2012. They lost conference tournament to Penn-State Behrend and didn't get an at large bid last year.

Heidelberg is scheduled to play 18 games against 2013 regional participants.
2 vs Moravian (2013 Regional participant)
1 vs Neumann (2013 Regional participant)
1 vs Alvernia (2013 Regional participant)
2 vs Adrian (2013 Regional participant)
2 vs Wooster (2013 Regional participant)
3 vs Manchester (2013 CWS participant)
3 vs Case (2013 Regional participant)
2 vs Mount Union (2013 Regional participant)
2 vs Marietta (2013 Regional participant)

Additionally they have games vs LaRoche, Denison, OWU, and Montclair St.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 27, 2014, 08:59:46 AM
My bad on the 2014 thing....Duh.

I've said for the past few years, one of the things which has seperated 'Berg and Marietta from the rest of the OAC is their attitude towards scheduling.  Both teams try to schedule top flight competition year in and year out.  Both Coach Palm and Coach Brewer seem to have the approach that the primary goal is a trip to Appleton, they build difficult schedules to challenge their teams and prepare them for that journey.   I don't see the same mindset in the other schools (read some of the "season previews."  Some are striving for a birth in the OAC tournament....Not host it, not make it to the regionals or the CWS, a birth in the OAC tourney! the goal is "we are happy to finish fourth in the league").   Coach Brewer will tell you the primary goal at Marietta is to win a National Championship (as it has been for the better part of 50 years). 

(I didn't count league games in the mix, simply because you play those teams no matter what).

Nice non league slate for 'Berg.  Good stuff.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on February 27, 2014, 05:26:41 PM
Not sure if Brewer still does this (but I've got a guess), but Schaly used to have several team goals. Very few MC teams have accomplished them all. I think '11 and '12 both did. I'm not sure about '81, but that would be the only other one that might have.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 28, 2014, 10:51:17 PM
Pity you poor folks that are going to be stuck up here for this (hopefully!) last snow fall of the year. Leaving tomorrow for Florida. Berg is going to have to hit the field rolling as 6 of their 10 games in Florida are against 2013 Regional participants. Will try to post some details if I get computer access down there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2014, 09:55:53 AM
Safe travels today motorman.  Enjoy wearing shorts and seeing actual real, live grass!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on March 01, 2014, 07:53:40 PM
Marietta takes two today 5-0 over Denison and a come from behind 3-2 win over Case Western.  Two more games scheduled with Case on Sunday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 01, 2014, 08:17:05 PM
I hope they get them in, and get home safely.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 02, 2014, 02:15:22 AM
Quote from: Kenworth on March 01, 2014, 07:53:40 PM
Marietta takes two today 5-0 over Denison and a come from behind 3-2 win over Case Western.  Two more games scheduled with Case on Sunday.

Good to be able to get a win over a really good opponent playing your C- game or so. Good game for the young guys to learn what is expected in those situations when you play for the Etta Express.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Kenworth on March 02, 2014, 12:37:53 PM
Sunday games rained out after 3  innings with Marietta leading 8-6 over Case Western with both teams putting up big offensive numbers.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 02, 2014, 03:47:47 PM
No surprise...Carlino and Clarke are the starters in the opening day DH vs. Trine for Mount.  No word on how it's going yet.

p.s. I'm sure that me watching Berg's live stats while there's snow piling up outside my office window as they plow is roughly the same as motorman sitting at the game in "75 and sunny" conditions.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 02, 2014, 06:05:53 PM
Mount sweeps Trine 4-3 and 11-0.  Strong outing from Clarke giving up 3 hits in the CG shutout.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 02, 2014, 06:07:56 PM
Quote from: Kenworth on March 02, 2014, 12:37:53 PM
Sunday games rained out after 3  innings with Marietta leading 8-6 over Case Western with both teams putting up big offensive numbers.

Who threw for the two teams?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on March 02, 2014, 06:58:07 PM
Can't recall Marietta's SP.  Krentz, started for CWRU, two first inning SS errors gave Marietta unearned runs. Tagg relieved.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2014, 12:41:36 PM
Mount may have audio for their afternoon game today if the SID gets there in time.  FIngers crossed I may have some baseball to listen to after lunch.

Also, I'm curious to hear if motorman survived that marathon DH yesterday.  Berg played an 8+ hr DH against Moravian.  Something like 3:30pm to 11:40pm.  Game 1 went 13 innings with 30 some runs total.  It was NOT a good day to be a Berg pitcher as I think they had 6 errors in each game.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2014, 03:38:12 PM
I'm not familiar with Houghton, but I'm guessing they aren't great as it's 8-0 after 1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2014, 05:51:51 PM
Houghton is actually in the E8 and not terrible.  Mount won 13-8 after beating Iowa Wesleyan 5-1 earlier.

Matt Palm has to be scratching his head a little as Berg won today with a 10 run 9th, but by a score of 22-19.  That's 56 runs allowed through 3 games.  Again today the D let them down with 4 more errors, but still even without the errors there were 15 ER today. 

Wilm has struggled scoring so far with 11 runs total through 4 games.  They're 0-4 as a result. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2014, 09:40:06 PM
Ceriani pitched well today for Mount (8 IP, 1 R, 8 K).  Murzynski struggled a little bit in the 2nd game though (5 IP, 6 ER).  Kemp was doing well in relief in both games until he ran into a rough spot in the 9th of the 2nd game.  Maybe a little tired heading into a 4th inning in a 2nd appearance on the day this early. 

I'm interested to see who gets the ball tomorrow against RHIT.  They've used the rotation I thought so far, but this is where it gets foggy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2014, 07:15:25 PM
Mount tops RHIT 7-0 tonight.  Soph. Kyle Toma started on the mound.  It looks like he's a transfer from Mercyhurst. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2014, 12:14:43 PM
Mount was rained out yesterday.  They won the opener this AM against Aurora 15-6.  Carlino picks up his first W of the year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 07, 2014, 01:52:38 PM
Good to Hear.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 07, 2014, 02:03:43 PM
Looks like the Berg is getting on a bit of a roll:

http://athletics.heidelberg.edu/sports/bsb/2013-14/players/christhomastas0
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2014, 02:18:21 PM
37-2?!  Northland is 0-8 so they're clearly not good, but man!  I especially enjoyed that their starter was in long enough to throw 155 pitches and give up 22 runs.  That's a lot of work in early March.  Talk about taking one for the team.  Those two kids fell on the sword. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2014, 03:55:53 PM
Mount moves to 7-0 with a 14-4 win in game 2 against Aurora.  DH with Waynesburg tomorrow wraps up the trip as it looks like the game with St. Vincent will not be made up.

The bad thing about playing the 7 inning DH's is that they've only used 3 relievers through 7 games I think.  Tough to get innings for everyone if the starter only leaves you an inning or so to work with.  That's why that St. V game being lost stinks because they were going to start Bekelsky (who had relieved already) so at least a couple other guys would have seen innings in that 9 inning game midweek.  Oh well.  I wonder if they'll use the pen liberally tomorrow just to get some guys game action. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 07, 2014, 07:58:37 PM
Yes Dr. Acula, I did survive that marathon DH but just barely. Defense was really bad in those first 2 games but has been improving ever since. Even the 4 errors against Neumann weren't as bad. Palm has to be liking the offense. Today was a very over matched Northland team, only 15 kids on their roster. Fluharty was good against Thiel and Huber put up a game effort against Adrian. After those first 2 days was very afraid of what Berg would look like vs Adrian, but of the 5 runs by Adrian, 2 scored on bases loaded walks and 1 on a bases loaded HBP.

Thomas was dominant today vs Northland and had a very good inning to close out the game vs Thiel. Today he shut them out over the first 6 innings, nothing hit hard, a bloop and 2 ground ball singles to go against 6 Ks.

Heard it got into the 50s up there today, get those snow piles thawed out so we can play when we get back.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 07, 2014, 08:54:42 PM
Good to hear that berg did so well. Glad they beat Adrian.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2014, 04:02:43 PM
So close!!  Matt Murzynski was 2 outs away from a perfect game in the opener against Waynesburg today before giving up a solid single.  He settles for the shutout 5-0. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2014, 07:42:30 PM
Mount will head home from FL undefeated for the first time I can ever remember after beating Waynesburg 15-1 in the 2nd game of the DH to finish 9-0.  Back in action next weekend against St. John's (MN) in Alliance (so we'll call that tentative at best).

Good luck to the rest of our OAC squads starting their spring trips this weekend.  Hope everyone plays well OOC and racks up some W's.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2014, 07:57:30 PM
Berg has won 6 straight after coming back from down 7-2 late against Alvernia.  They've got Wooster on Monday which will be very interesting.

JCU is 4-6, but they've lost to Case and split with Allegheny in WV.  In FL lost to Adrian, Widener, Augustana and split with Moravian.  None of those are bad losses in my mind although I would have liked to see them snag at least one win against that Case/Adrian/Widener/Auggie group. 

Wilm sadly finished 0-8 on their trip.  Looking at the scores they appeared to be fairly competitive.  They lost 6 of the 8 games by 4 runs or fewer so it wasn't like they were getting drummed.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 08, 2014, 08:25:36 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2014, 07:57:30 PM
Berg has won 6 straight after coming back from down 7-2 late against Alvernia.  They've got Wooster on Monday which will be very interesting.

JCU is 4-6, but they've lost to Case and split with Allegheny in WV.  In FL lost to Adrian, Widener, Augustana and split with Moravian.  None of those are bad losses in my mind although I would have liked to see them snag at least one win against that Case/Adrian/Widener/Auggie group. 

Is Doring injured? I don't think he's pitched yet for John Carroll which would make a big difference.

Heidelberg has been a bit fortunate so far in that their opponents seem to like not throwing their best against them. Alvernia coached itself into a loss today, leaving their ace reliever in mothballs and DHing their best starter.

Berg's best pitcher appears to be a freshman.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 09, 2014, 11:55:05 AM
Still not a huge fan of playing Wooster, but having it the first game of the spring trip certainly adds to the anticipation of starting the week!

Hagen vs. Byers.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2014, 01:41:47 PM
I was kind of bummed there are no live stats for that one.  Etta was up 2-0 when I checked the scoreboard a few minutes ago. 

Berg is up 6-1 on Montclair St.  Musky dropped their opener to Domincan 7-3 this morning.  BW plays later.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 09, 2014, 04:44:07 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2014, 01:41:47 PM
I was kind of bummed there are no live stats for that one.  Etta was up 2-0 when I checked the scoreboard a few minutes ago. 


There were. Sometimes it doesn't show up on d3baseball. Check the Marietta site. Also an audio link is almost always there.

7-3 final. The only threat to Byers was himself. 7IP, 3H, 1R, 5BB, 6K. Marietta broke it open late against the bullpen. Hagen pitched quite well, but was the losing pitcher.

Interestingly, Wooster's first two relievers on a team with 16 seniors were a soph and a FR.

MC up 3-1 on Salem State in the second game. Herstine very good so far. Both MC starters in the 90 mph range on the gun.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 09, 2014, 11:30:15 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 08, 2014, 08:25:36 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2014, 07:57:30 PM
Berg has won 6 straight after coming back from down 7-2 late against Alvernia.  They've got Wooster on Monday which will be very interesting.

JCU is 4-6, but they've lost to Case and split with Allegheny in WV.  In FL lost to Adrian, Widener, Augustana and split with Moravian.  None of those are bad losses in my mind although I would have liked to see them snag at least one win against that Case/Adrian/Widener/Auggie group. 

Is Doring injured? I don't think he's pitched yet for John Carroll which would make a big difference.

Heidelberg has been a bit fortunate so far in that their opponents seem to like not throwing their best against them. Alvernia coached itself into a loss today, leaving their ace reliever in mothballs and DHing their best starter.

Berg's best pitcher appears to be a freshman.

Maybe the other teams #1s are lucky they weren't facing the Berg offense. They saw Moravian's #1 and scored 14 in that game. They also beat Adrian with their #5, Huber and he goes against Wooster tomorrow. I also don't think you can make a statement that their best pitcher is a freshman after 3 relief appearances.

I do agree with you that Alvernia coached themselves into a loss, but for other reasons than you stated. They pinch hit for their starting 3rd baseman because he struck out in his first 2 plate appearances and the kid they put in made the error that allowed the tying runs to score. They also pinch hit for an OF who had 2 hits in his previous 2 ABs. Also, they pulled the starting pitcher who had only thrown just a little more than 60 pitches and was holding Berg in check.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 10, 2014, 12:42:38 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 09, 2014, 11:30:15 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 08, 2014, 08:25:36 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2014, 07:57:30 PM
Berg has won 6 straight after coming back from down 7-2 late against Alvernia.  They've got Wooster on Monday which will be very interesting.

JCU is 4-6, but they've lost to Case and split with Allegheny in WV.  In FL lost to Adrian, Widener, Augustana and split with Moravian.  None of those are bad losses in my mind although I would have liked to see them snag at least one win against that Case/Adrian/Widener/Auggie group. 

Is Doring injured? I don't think he's pitched yet for John Carroll which would make a big difference.

Heidelberg has been a bit fortunate so far in that their opponents seem to like not throwing their best against them. Alvernia coached itself into a loss today, leaving their ace reliever in mothballs and DHing their best starter.

Berg's best pitcher appears to be a freshman.

Maybe the other teams #1s are lucky they weren't facing the Berg offense. They saw Moravian's #1 and scored 14 in that game. They also beat Adrian with their #5, Huber and he goes against Wooster tomorrow. I also don't think you can make a statement that their best pitcher is a freshman after 3 relief appearances.

I do agree with you that Alvernia coached themselves into a loss, but for other reasons than you stated. They pinch hit for their starting 3rd baseman because he struck out in his first 2 plate appearances and the kid they put in made the error that allowed the tying runs to score. They also pinch hit for an OF who had 2 hits in his previous 2 ABs. Also, they pulled the starting pitcher who had only thrown just a little more than 60 pitches and was holding Berg in check.

Yeah, y'all also did a good job of making Moravian's last guy the D3baseball.com reliever of the week. :) Then their #2 guy only allowed 1 earned. I'm sorry but scoring 37 against some recreational team and getting 22 against a team whose freshman starter walked 8 guys in 3 innings (and 17 for the team in the game) doesn't impress me much.

Alvernia could have pitched Weinhold and/or Becker-Menditto in relief and given themselves a lot better chance to win. Instead they throw Weinhold against Bluffton and get beat anyway because they took *him* out too early. I can only guess they were trying to make sure they had Weinhold against Gettysburg. But holding Becker-Menditto just makes no sense at all.

And Adrian didn't throw Robinson for some reason. I assume Montclair will throw their ace tomorrow against Marietta.

Oh well, makes the OAC look better I guess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 10, 2014, 02:21:37 AM
Could maybe Adrian didn't thorw Robinson was because he pitched the day before? Like Berg, they didn't fiddle with the rotation based on who they were playing maybe? So they threw their #3 in their 3rd game in FL and Berg used #5 and we should be embarassed about beating them?

Papa pitched Montclair's first game before coming to Florida so I guess he would be their #1. From what I saw with my own eyes and not from looking at live stats, Marietta won't have any problem with Montclair.

Why don't you take issue with the cupcakes Mount went 9-0 against instead of bashing the pitching choices of Berg's opponents? Don't think they have played any teams that went to regionals last year, not to mention playing 7 inning DHs. So Berg had one weak sister and played 6 of 10 vs 2013 regional participants.

This whole line of discussion looks like setting up an excuse ahead of time if Wooster had beaten Marietta and Berg beats them today. Oh, we had to face their best pitcher and you guys beat someone lower in the rotation.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 10, 2014, 08:57:09 AM
I did have my tongue in cheek when I made the comment about #1's facing Berg's offense, guess I should have used an emoticon there.

I also think anyone from a school with a rec league football program like Marietta's, where they annual question is are we going to beat Wilmington to avoid another winless season, shouldn't be denigrating anybody else's student athletes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 10, 2014, 08:57:34 AM
Your rotation should always be based on who you are pitching and when.  I guess Adrian thought they had a better chance of beating Heidelberg with less than their best than John Carroll. Probably true.

Mount Union won the conference tournament last year and went to the regional and has everyone back. I'm not sure just how good they are, but they're definitely good enough that I'm not too concerned about who they've played. They'll be in the conference tournament in May.

MC has faced the other team's ace probably 80% of the time for years. It's a surprise when it doesn't happen, really. Probably will see Torregroza once and Papa once. Unfortunate situation there with Moose having trouble. Hopefully he gets back soon and can again lead a great program. But they'll be up for Etta Express as they always are.

Wooster could throw their 2 or 3 today, but it doesn't matter much because there's not much difference between them anyway. Koski had a better ERA last year but fewer innings. Their schedule sets up nicely to use Hagen against 3 teams that will probably all be ranked (MC, Webster, Birmingham Southern).

What I don't know is what Marietta will do pitching-wise the next few days. You'd think Byers goes against Webster if able and Herstine starts against Farmingdale (who is likely to start one of the best in the country). Finlan will have one of the games, not sure which one. Other than that, don't know if it'll be Fulton, one of the freshmen that's already pitched, or someone new.

Oh, and MC doesn't need excuses. Doesn't accept them, either. Young team (3 seniors, 6 juniors), doesn't matter. Expectations remain the same.

Since the league was nice enough to give MC road trips to Mount and Heidelberg within 3 days, it'll be interesting to see if Heidelberg actually sees Byers and Herstine. Might be 1 and not the other. One place where playing 9 in the first game could make a difference.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 10, 2014, 09:08:25 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 10, 2014, 08:57:09 AM
I also think anyone from a school with a rec league football program like Marietta's, where they annual question is are we going to beat Wilmington to avoid another winless season, shouldn't be denigrating anybody else's student athletes.

And if this was a football board, you'd have a great point. But...it's not.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2014, 10:26:03 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 10, 2014, 02:21:37 AM
Could maybe Adrian didn't thorw Robinson was because he pitched the day before? Like Berg, they didn't fiddle with the rotation based on who they were playing maybe? So they threw their #3 in their 3rd game in FL and Berg used #5 and we should be embarassed about beating them?

Papa pitched Montclair's first game before coming to Florida so I guess he would be their #1. From what I saw with my own eyes and not from looking at live stats, Marietta won't have any problem with Montclair.

Why don't you take issue with the cupcakes Mount went 9-0 against instead of bashing the pitching choices of Berg's opponents? Don't think they have played any teams that went to regionals last year, not to mention playing 7 inning DHs. So Berg had one weak sister and played 6 of 10 vs 2013 regional participants.

This whole line of discussion looks like setting up an excuse ahead of time if Wooster had beaten Marietta and Berg beats them today. Oh, we had to face their best pitcher and you guys beat someone lower in the rotation.

I complained about Mount's schedule again this year, but let's be clear...they don't play all cupcakes.  They play all average teams.  Haha.  The worst team they played might have been Aurora and they were 25-13 last year and 38-10 the year before.  Actually, it was probably Waynesburg because Aurora hit pretty well.  But the flip side is I don't know who would be the BEST team they saw.  They're all middling, around .500 teams it seems.  But they did what they should against that competition and beat up on them. 

I feel much more confident about them making the OAC tourney for a couple reasons:

First, I like their pitching depth more than I thought I would right now.  Ceriani, who I suspected might end up as the #3 based on the end of last year, was great in both his starts.  And I didn't even know who Toma was and he pitched great in his start against RHIT.  They should be able to find 4 solid starters out of this group.  Regardless of what order the rotation shakes out I think it's safe to say this will be the best rotation 1-4 that Mount has had in decades.

Second, with Doring MIA and BW's top 2 starters really scuffling through 2 starts it makes me pause on those Cleveland area staffs.  The conference is too competitive to have spotty starting pitching and expect to do well long-term.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 10, 2014, 11:13:01 AM
Marietta likely throws Finlan today against Montclair St. 
Tomorrow against Wooster?  Who knows.  I guess will find out who the #4 guy is.  I would be moderately surprised if it is Fulton, he seems like he is going to be a bullpen guy.  I'm guessing it will be a freshman (since that is all they have left--Nieberding perhaps).

Mon: vs Montclair State: Finlan
Tues: vs. Wooster: ???
Weds: Off
Thurs: vs Montclair St: Byers/Herstine
Thurs: vs Webster: Byers/Herstine
Friday: vs Farmingdale St: Finlan
Sat: vs. Nichols:  Tuesday's starter, perhaps. 

As far as your pitching rotation should always be about who you are playing and when...Last Saturday when Marietta played both Denison and CWRU, my thought, based on the projected strength of the two opponents (ie the matchup) would have been to start Herstine against Dennison and Byers against Case.  It wasn't how it happened, though, and it worked out well for the Pioneers.  It won't be surprising to see Byers throw the first game on Thursday against Montclair St, with Herstine throwing against Webster (when the matchup may dictate otherwise). 

Shoening is "out" for a while having had a hip replaced, and the interim head coach in his absence is the son of Bill Holowaty. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 10, 2014, 11:40:38 AM
It wouldn't surprise me if it's the mystery #4 today and then Finlan against Wooster. We'll find out in about 10 minutes. :)

Nieberding wasn't mentioned in the preview. Janus, McNabb, Crowl and I think Kirsch were. Kirsch is a transfer soph, so he might get first crack at starting. It will be interesting to see if Nieberding gets a shot. Could be he's having trouble getting all that 6 foot 7 going the right direction at once -- like early career Mark Williams and Austin Blaski.

Finlan vs. Dolce makes me break into a cold sweat.

I think Brewer might have legitimately figured on Denison's ace being better than Case's. I don't know. But his decisions in this regard are usually really logical so that's what I'm thinking.

Yeah that stinks about Moose Schoenig. Hope he's able to get going again soon.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 10, 2014, 11:47:29 AM
Finlan vs. Torregroza is the pitching matchup.

EttaFan wins.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 10, 2014, 12:37:20 PM
Berg up 7-0 after 4 on Wooster, but of course it isn't against their #1. This whole question is exactly like making excuses, you guys aren't as good because you aren't facing the same pitching we are. I know coach Palm expects Berg to beat the opponent no matter who is pitching which is what happens when you have confidence in all your pitchers instead of having to throw guys out there on short rest when you aren't sure what you are getting from your #4 and #5 guys.

Oh and by the way, Berg beat Byers last year so I don't think they fear having to face him. Mount did win the tournament but was only 23-18 last year and went 2 and BBQ cause they never faced that level of competition during the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2014, 05:02:33 PM
Good win for Berg (14-1 over Woo), bad DH for Musky (swept by Hiram).  Cap got beat up on by Anderson 17-7 also and Etta lost a close one to Montclair St.  Not a happy day for the OAC overall outside of Tiffin.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 10, 2014, 06:11:37 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2014, 05:02:33 PM
Good win for Berg (14-1 over Woo), bad DH for Musky (swept by Hiram).  Cap got beat up on by Anderson 17-7 also and Etta lost a close one to Montclair St.  Not a happy day for the OAC overall outside of Tiffin.

Yep, Montclair played well. Every baseball game is different, and Torregroza and Finlan both were far from overpowering but managed to escape trouble most of the time.

Luyster showed he can miss bats but was wild and it hurt him. Like seeing young guys that strike guys out though...good sign. He'll get better from today and like Brewer said, they want to win but they also want to learn something about themselves.

Looks like Koski vs. ???? tomorrow. I don't even have a guess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 10, 2014, 07:46:19 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 10, 2014, 12:37:20 PM
Berg up 7-0 after 4 on Wooster, but of course it isn't against their #1. This whole question is exactly like making excuses, you guys aren't as good because you aren't facing the same pitching we are. I know coach Palm expects Berg to beat the opponent no matter who is pitching which is what happens when you have confidence in all your pitchers instead of having to throw guys out there on short rest when you aren't sure what you are getting from your #4 and #5 guys.

Oh and by the way, Berg beat Byers last year so I don't think they fear having to face him. Mount did win the tournament but was only 23-18 last year and went 2 and BBQ cause they never faced that level of competition during the season.

All I'm saying I think the offense is a bit of a mirage right now.

The idea that Marietta somehow lacks confidence and doesn't expect to win every game is more than a little funny. Guys are available when they're rested, and from there it depends on what the team needs. How it's always been, and what the training has always been designed to yield. Marietta's record developing pitchers speaks for itself.

Mount made the conference tournament, and then won it. Never faced that level of competition? Um...they played the region runner-up so it's pretty hard to make that case.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 11, 2014, 02:13:52 PM
Marietta defeats Wooster 4-2 today behind a solid 5.1 IP from freshman Nieberding, and 3.2 solid innings in relief for Mike Fulton, probably the best outing of his career.  I think Fulton is a key part to the longer term success of Marietta this year.  He will be needed to close out games.

Right now Marietta needs to get the offense going.  They are struggling a little at the plate, but hopefully that will come along as the season progresses.

I think the Pios are little bit ahead defensively at this early stage of the season than they were a year ago.  It looks like Hannahan is going to be the short stop and Demko at second.  Roche isn't the strongest defensive player and as long as his bat comes along, I think we will see him anchor the hot corner. 

Don't know what to think about Wooster.  A lot was made of their returning seniors, and so far they are 0-3 and have combined for 6 total runs. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 11, 2014, 04:19:49 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 11, 2014, 02:13:52 PM
Marietta defeats Wooster 4-2 today behind a solid 5.1 IP from freshman Nieberding, and 3.2 solid innings in relief for Mike Fulton, probably the best outing of his career.  I think Fulton is a key part to the longer term success of Marietta this year.  He will be needed to close out games.

Right now Marietta needs to get the offense going.  They are struggling a little at the plate, but hopefully that will come along as the season progresses.

I think the Pios are little bit ahead defensively at this early stage of the season than they were a year ago.  It looks like Hannahan is going to be the short stop and Demko at second.  Roche isn't the strongest defensive player and as long as his bat comes along, I think we will see him anchor the hot corner. 

Don't know what to think about Wooster.  A lot was made of their returning seniors, and so far they are 0-3 and have combined for 6 total runs.

I would say you could see Hanahan move to 3rd and Bukiewicz to 2nd, but after today I don't know if you can break up that outfield! Bukiewicz might have been the difference in the game without getting a hit. Roche sat last game and Packanik played 2nd. Packanik made an error but he was a reliable glove last year, so might see that again.

MC has faced a lot of good pitchers. Obviously more runs would be nice, but I'm not that disappointed. Buckingham is a guy Wooster had high hopes for and it seems with good reason. Most of the other guys MC has faced have been aces. This is also a team that's going to create runs for themselves with athleticism and aggressiveness.

5-1 with a sub 2.00 ERA with a bunch of FR/SO pitchers against that schedule? Will take it and run away.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 11, 2014, 08:08:40 PM
Congratulations to my Raiders for being ranked #20 this week.  I know it's only March and rankings don't matter anyway, but I don't know if they've ever been ranked before?  So I'm happy for them.  This group has accomplished a lot of big firsts with the biggest obviously being the NCAA appearance.  I'm going to be sad to see this senior class leave.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 11, 2014, 10:12:03 PM
Marietta Alum Kyle Lindqust, has left the professional ranks and has taken up the coaching profession. Kyle is now an assistant coach for the Big Red.

http://denisonbigred.com/information/directory/bios/lindquist_kyle

Deegan bringing in Marietta Alums should be a good thing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 12, 2014, 06:35:18 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 10, 2014, 09:08:25 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 10, 2014, 08:57:09 AM
I also think anyone from a school with a rec league football program like Marietta's, where they annual question is are we going to beat Wilmington to avoid another winless season, shouldn't be denigrating anybody else's student athletes.

And if this was a football board, you'd have a great point. But...it's not.

Don't know if you would recognize a point if you sat on it. My point had nothing to do with football, just used it as an example. It was about respecting your opponent and not calling them a rec league team, especially since the OAC records Berg came close to matching were set by Marietta against a LaRoche team that was essentially an intermural team after the real baseball team quit.

To your argument about Mount playing regional runner up, that's about the only regional caliber team they did play (I know they played Penn State Behrend too, how did those turn out?), and it was 2 league games, not the pressure of a tournament. Doubt they win the OAC tournament if Otterbein hadn't done the dirty work for them and knocked out the mighty Pios.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 12, 2014, 10:00:30 PM
I covered the La Roche game. No one gained any satisfaction from how that went or thought it indicative of anything. Also, no one would have given a crap if you had broken the records from that game. Those aren't records about which anyone cares much at all.

The one thing I remember Coach being happy about after that game: his team played errorless ball.

It's nice to see La Roche become a respectable program. Just goes to show there's no such thing as a lost cause.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 13, 2014, 08:52:13 AM
Does anyone want to use a game against a team like Northland, Olivet, Mount Aloycious, Trine, or Iowa Weslyan as a measure of their team's quality? 

I think most of the coaches, and I as a fan, would rather use games against Case, Manchester, Wooster, W&J or Webster as a barometer of the caliber of their team. 

I doubt many football teams look at what happened in their games against Marietta College and based on those results say to themselves, "Hey, I think we are on par with Mount Union after that one." 

'Berg's schedule is about to get much more challenging.  In their next nine games, they have: three games with Manchester, another tilt with Adrian (who happens to be 2-3, but is still the big dog in the MIAA), two with Case, a dh with BW, a game with OWU.  At this point in the season those teams are a combined 26-11.  As an outsider, that stretch is going to be more reprsentative of how good 'Berg is than their first 10 games, where their opponents are a combined 27-38.  I'm not sure that the .369 BA and .502 Slg percentage is going to hold through that stretch, more importantly, can the 5.13 ERA and .305 OppBA and dreadful .940 fielding pct. improve against some of the better competition they will face this season?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 13, 2014, 02:19:26 PM
Marietta's Christian Herstine no-hits Montclair State in the revenge matchup, 8-0. So that's an adequate response to the first loss. :) 3 hits, struck out 9.

Assume Byers goes against Smith against Webster.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 13, 2014, 02:41:29 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 02:19:26 PM
Marietta's Christian Herstine no-hits Montclair State in the revenge matchup, 8-0. So that's an adequate response to the first loss. :) 3 hits walks, struck out 9.

Assume Byers goes against Smith against Webster.

Walks...not hits... ;)

And yes Byers is up next against Webster.

Marietta just announced they have picked up a game against Wheaton(Mass) tomorrow at 11:00
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 13, 2014, 03:43:57 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 13, 2014, 02:41:29 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 02:19:26 PM
Marietta's Christian Herstine no-hits Montclair State in the revenge matchup, 8-0. So that's an adequate response to the first loss. :) 3 hits walks, struck out 9.

Assume Byers goes against Smith against Webster.

Walks...not hits... ;)

And yes Byers is up next against Webster.

Marietta just announced they have picked up a game against Wheaton(Mass) tomorrow at 11:00

Yes, of course...thanks...blerg.

Webster being pretty stingy so far.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2014, 08:34:23 PM
As expected, Mount's 3 game set with St. John's this weekend is cancelled.  Too bad.  SJU was 8-1 last time I looked albeit not against great competition either.  Still would have been a nice series though.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 13, 2014, 09:35:45 PM
Berg's games vs Manchester are going to be played in Westfield, IN just north of Indy on turf fields. Supposed to be close to 60 there tomorrow. Hope they represent as well against the regional champs as they did last year. Especially since going 8-2 in FL with 6 of those games against 2013 regional qualifiers is so unimpressive to the lords of the OAC down south.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 13, 2014, 09:49:25 PM
10 a.m. DH after a 6:45 night game? Jeez. Why not play a 5:00 DH, then the 1 p.m. the next day and leave town at the same time?

Those are going to be some tired kids Saturday afternoon.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 13, 2014, 10:06:51 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2014, 08:34:23 PM
As expected, Mount's 3 game set with St. John's this weekend is cancelled.  Too bad.  SJU was 8-1 last time I looked albeit not against great competition either.  Still would have been a nice series though.   

YOu just about could have gone there. Snow is pretty much gone.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 13, 2014, 10:25:20 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 09:49:25 PM
10 a.m. DH after a 6:45 night game? Jeez. Why not play a 5:00 DH, then the 1 p.m. the next day and leave town at the same time?

Those are going to be some tired kids Saturday afternoon.

Manchester is still in class, they can't miss last day of class before break. Thought they would play Sat and Sun, but guess this is the better option.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2014, 10:53:28 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 10:06:51 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2014, 08:34:23 PM
As expected, Mount's 3 game set with St. John's this weekend is cancelled.  Too bad.  SJU was 8-1 last time I looked albeit not against great competition either.  Still would have been a nice series though.   

YOu just about could have gone there. Snow is pretty much gone.

It looks like they're playing a DH against Walsh Sat.  Location?  West Mifflin, PA.  HS has an all turf field.  I'm sure the large number of western PA players' parents are excited for a short drive. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 14, 2014, 01:31:10 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 13, 2014, 10:25:20 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 09:49:25 PM
10 a.m. DH after a 6:45 night game? Jeez. Why not play a 5:00 DH, then the 1 p.m. the next day and leave town at the same time?

Those are going to be some tired kids Saturday afternoon.

Manchester is still in class, they can't miss last day of class before break. Thought they would play Sat and Sun, but guess this is the better option.

Oh like they're not going to miss class the rest of the year? Please.

Shouldn't have many guys with afternoon classes during the spring anyway.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 14, 2014, 01:32:58 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2014, 10:53:28 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 10:06:51 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2014, 08:34:23 PM
As expected, Mount's 3 game set with St. John's this weekend is cancelled.  Too bad.  SJU was 8-1 last time I looked albeit not against great competition either.  Still would have been a nice series though.   

YOu just about could have gone there. Snow is pretty much gone.

It looks like they're playing a DH against Walsh Sat.  Location?  West Mifflin, PA.  HS has an all turf field.  I'm sure the large number of western PA players' parents are excited for a short drive.

The weather must be worse these days because there used to be more games played, even up north, and no turf fields and yet it usually worked out.

At this point, it seems like purism be damned, if you can afford a turf field it's probably worth it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 14, 2014, 08:04:42 AM
SO after falling behind 4-0, Marietta gets three in the bottom of the 8th and one in the ninth to force extra innings. Marietta left runners at third base in both the 8th and 9th.  Webster gets a run in the 10th and Marietta can't get a clutch hit to bring in a runner in scoring position in the bottom half.  Webster wins 5-4. 

Byers was "roughed up" a little (causing his own difficulties at times).  Hit the first batter of the game who came in to score.  He gave up three runs.  Freshman Jim Luyster pitched well in relief.  Manchester scored their fourth run on a strike three wild pitch with two outs.   

Motorman, I hope 'Berg represents well against Manchester.  It is good for the OAC when there are many strong teams.  I stand by my comments though.  These next nine games will tell all of us more about Heidelberg than their first 10.  8-2 is a great start for any team, and nothing I said is disparaging that fact.  Whether some of those games were against 2013 regional participants or not, the fact is the comined record of those teams is 11 games below .500, and the strength of the next 10 is much better.  The numbers simply don't lie. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2014, 08:57:00 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 14, 2014, 01:32:58 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2014, 10:53:28 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 10:06:51 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2014, 08:34:23 PM
As expected, Mount's 3 game set with St. John's this weekend is cancelled.  Too bad.  SJU was 8-1 last time I looked albeit not against great competition either.  Still would have been a nice series though.   

YOu just about could have gone there. Snow is pretty much gone.

It looks like they're playing a DH against Walsh Sat.  Location?  West Mifflin, PA.  HS has an all turf field.  I'm sure the large number of western PA players' parents are excited for a short drive.

The weather must be worse these days because there used to be more games played, even up north, and no turf fields and yet it usually worked out.

At this point, it seems like purism be damned, if you can afford a turf field it's probably worth it.

I go to OSU games frequently and I still can't get used to the all turf thing. It just seems wrong. Haha. Guys playing baseball and leaving without a hint of dirt on them doesn't feel right.  But you're right, if the school can afford it a turf field seems like the best option.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 14, 2014, 10:16:43 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 14, 2014, 01:31:10 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 13, 2014, 10:25:20 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 09:49:25 PM
10 a.m. DH after a 6:45 night game? Jeez. Why not play a 5:00 DH, then the 1 p.m. the next day and leave town at the same time?

Those are going to be some tired kids Saturday afternoon.

Manchester is still in class, they can't miss last day of class before break. Thought they would play Sat and Sun, but guess this is the better option.



Oh like they're not going to miss class the rest of the year? Please.

Shouldn't have many guys with afternoon classes during the spring anyway.

I'm not making this up. Heard it directly from Coach Palm and that's what Manchester told him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 14, 2014, 11:59:55 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 14, 2014, 10:16:43 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 14, 2014, 01:31:10 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 13, 2014, 10:25:20 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 13, 2014, 09:49:25 PM
10 a.m. DH after a 6:45 night game? Jeez. Why not play a 5:00 DH, then the 1 p.m. the next day and leave town at the same time?

Those are going to be some tired kids Saturday afternoon.

Manchester is still in class, they can't miss last day of class before break. Thought they would play Sat and Sun, but guess this is the better option.



Oh like they're not going to miss class the rest of the year? Please.

Shouldn't have many guys with afternoon classes during the spring anyway.

I'm not making this up. Heard it directly from Coach Palm and that's what Manchester told him.

I'm just saying it doesn't make much sense. Isn't Manchester only like an hour from there?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2014, 09:22:02 PM
So I looked at Mount's schedule to date.  None of the teams they've played thus far have a winning record.  Winning % of their schedule to date is below .300 (ouch).  Needless to say a DH against a 7-9 DII school should be by far their stiffest test yet.  Checked out the Walsh roster and saw a transfer from Etta (who I'd never heard of) and Berg (who I at least recognized the name).  Also noticed that Logan Bowles already left OSU to transfer home and is not having much success at Walsh so far (3 starts).

 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2014, 09:29:50 PM
Sorry, I was being lazy...

Jake Palidar (Sr. OF from Wadsworth) is the Etta kid.

Alex Zander (So. P from Cuyahoga Hts.) is the Berg kid.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 15, 2014, 12:00:08 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2014, 09:29:50 PM
Sorry, I was being lazy...

Jake Palidar (Sr. OF from Wadsworth) is the Etta kid.

Alex Zander (So. P from Cuyahoga Hts.) is the Berg kid.

I think Palidar got maybe a few at-bats as a FR. He likely made the right call by transferring if playing time was the sole determinant, because the 2011 OF was Lo-hoooo-ded.

I don't think Mount's schedule is quite as bad as it looks. Aurora is not going to stay a .200 team. Rose-Hulman is probably a top tier team in the HCAC this year. It certainly isn't a fabulous schedule, but I think some of those wins are going to look better later in the year than they do now. Kind of like Salem State and Wooster for the teams in Port Charlotte...right now those teams' records don't look great, but I'm guessing they both end up with 25ish wins or more.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 15, 2014, 01:14:40 PM
Marietta finished up the spring trip with a 4-0 win over New Paltz.

Brewer must have told them to hurry up because it only took 2:03, and Marietta pitchers threw just 87 pitches total.

Marietta's team ERA now is 1.81. Pretty amazing considering FR and SO have thrown 90% of the innings. This is looking like a team well ahead of schedule...or mine, at least.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2014, 05:58:53 PM
Couple slugfests at Manchester.  Berg sweeps 15-9 and 11-9.  That's 11 straight W's for Palm's crew.  Every time I look at a box score I swear Hug has multiple hits.  That kid seems to be raking.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2014, 06:23:47 PM
Mount has thrown their 3-4 starters in relief today and both have struggled some.  Carlino threw a lot of pitches, but was solid (5 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) in the game 1 start.  They were up 3-2 after 7, but the bullpen imploded a little in the 8th allowing 5 runs all charged to Ceriani, but with the assist from Bekelesky who allowed all 3 inherited runners to score when Ceriani departed.  Walsh won it 7-3 despite the Raiders out hitting them 11-9.  Offense sounded good early, but then couldn't get the clutch hit the latter half of the game. 

Game 2 Clarke gave up 2 R in 6 IP and got a lot of offensive help.  Murzynski really struggled with his control walking 5 and hitting a batter in 2 IP, but with a 12-2 lead it wasn't an issue today.  Mount cruises to the split 12-4.  Knott was 5-8 with a HR and a 2B on the day. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 15, 2014, 07:32:09 PM
The OAC looks to have about 8 teams playing or capable of playing pretty good baseball.

Doubleheader sweeps aren't going to come easy this year, especially on the road.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 15, 2014, 11:24:54 PM
Berg offense look any more legit now Spence? 34 runs in 3 games against a top 20 team that went to Appleton last year. I think a Senior put to rest your erroneous assertion that a freshman was Berg's best pitcher too. 11Ks and 6 hits in the Friday game, Chris Thomas totally shut down the Manchester offense for the 2nd year in a row. Only hard hit ball by Manchester in a game with 30+ mph wind blowing out to right was the home run leading off the 4th. Also the only baserunner to get past 2nd base for Manchester. The sophomore duo of Fluharty and Huber struggled on the mound today after stellar outings to end the Florida trip, but the offense bailed them out.

You are right Dr A, Derek Hug has been hitting line drives all over the place, but today belonged to Trevor Oldham. 3 triples in 1 game tied an OAC record last accomplished in 1976. Berg speed is turning doubles into triples routinely. They had more triples in the 10 games in Florida than they had all of last season. And the track meet continued this weekend vs. Manchester. Oldham's first triple in today's 2nd game came after being hit by a pitch after pulling the bat back on an attempted bunt, only to have the boys in blue say he was still trying to bunt. Another came after Manchester dropped a foul pop that should have been caught.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 16, 2014, 04:35:10 AM
Hrm i sense a little jealousy and rivalry there with regard to the young guy that did a very good job in his own right today. Hendrixson still has a lower ERA and has figured in more victories (2 wins and a save as a reliever).

I haven't had Manchester in my personal top 25 all year, even preseason. They lost a ton from last year, and Nieman is apparently hurt. I'm feeling pretty good about that conviction so far. Same for W&J. I have had Case Western ranked all year. I feel like I was right about all of those.

Little history lesson: Heidelberg was 10-3 at this time last year. Today's come-from-behind win is the only thing separating them from being in the same place as last year at this time. Only other difference is last year this series was all low scoring games.

Bottom line...not sure I'd book for mid-May in Marietta just yet.

OAC is going to be a battle this year. The way the scheduling breaks down for that is certainly interesting. There are 4 doubleheaders in 9 days in April, and the difference in scheduling difficulty over that time between teams is pretty significant. Some teams are going to be asked to play 4 straight road games in 3-4 days against contending teams. If a team can negotiate that (and possibly have an extra road series), they'll certainly have earned their place.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 16, 2014, 10:46:17 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 16, 2014, 04:35:10 AM


Little history lesson: Heidelberg was 10-3 at this time last year. Today's come-from-behind win is the only thing separating them from being in the same place as last year at this time. Only other difference is last year this series was all low scoring games.


Don't need the lesson, I was there to see it happen. A couple very big differences between this year and last. Berg has an offense this year, couldn't score runs last year. Second big difference is healthy pitching. At this point last year Berg lost their top 2 pitchers for more than a month.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 16, 2014, 02:33:38 PM
Well, I made a table of the OAC schedule this year, but I can't get it to post. This board for some reason won't accept modern formats and it spit it back when I converted it to .doc.

Interesting to see the differences in schedule difficulty all in one chart. There are a couple of teams that really have their work cut out for them, and a couple that have no excuses at all.

It would make more sense to be able to see it haha.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 16, 2014, 07:51:24 PM
Also Spence, absolutely no jealousy involved in my opinion of Berg's best pitcher. I was trying to point out the absurdity of someone who hasn't seen anyone from Berg throw a single pitch this year giving an opinion like that. I like what Hendrixson has done and hope all of the pitching staff has great success this year. I wouldn't venture an opinion of who Marietta's best pitcher is since I haven't seen any of them in person.

I do find it curious that after Heidelberg sweeps Manchester, we hear your opinion that they aren't that good. By your criteria, Marietta shouldn't be ranked either since they lost so much to graduation. Glad we have the D3.com poll to go by rather than your personal agenda.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 16, 2014, 08:41:00 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 16, 2014, 07:51:24 PM
Also Spence, absolutely no jealousy involved in my opinion of Berg's best pitcher. I was trying to point out the absurdity of someone who hasn't seen anyone from Berg throw a single pitch this year giving an opinion like that. I like what Hendrixson has done and hope all of the pitching staff has great success this year. I wouldn't venture an opinion of who Marietta's best pitcher is since I haven't seen any of them in person.

I do find it curious that after Heidelberg sweeps Manchester, we hear your opinion that they aren't that good. By your criteria, Marietta shouldn't be ranked either since they lost so much to graduation. Glad we have the D3.com poll to go by rather than your personal agenda.

I didn't see Linfield play last year but I had them #1 by this time last year. I picked Southern Maine to win their regional and finish 2nd in the Series as well.
I didn't see Marietta play in 2010 but I had a good feeling that even though all the talk was Heidelberg that year that Marietta would be really good  in 2011. All they did was win the championship in completely dominant fashion, then go and do it again. In short, my track record of being able to make assessments even without seeing teams is one with which I'm quite comfortable. I did miss on Illinois Wesleyan, but so did everyone else haha.

No one asked me what I thought of Manchester. It wasn't on topic...so I didn't say anything here. I didn't realize I was required to share my every thought here with you. I'm flattered that you're so interested, though!

Marietta has a bunch of FR and SO pitching for them and comes back north with a sub 2.00 ERA against great competition. Some people didn't think much of Marietta in preseason but I bet they're getting more votes now. I expected them to be good because I knew what kind of recruiting class they had, but I didn't even expect the pitching to be *this* good. I can't ever remember seeing this many young guys pitch this much and do it this well for MC.

8 of 10 teams that has a top 50 schedule strength, a .700 wpct, and at least 8 games played is in my rankings (or are 6-1 and so would be over .700 even if they lost). The two that aren't are Johnson & Wales and Salve Regina, so I guess I just hate Rhode Island. But considering i use the schedule strength sparingly, I think it shows that I'm generally on the right track.

Now I just need to figure out who my new #1 is...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 17, 2014, 10:16:41 AM
Some really early SOS stuff for the OAC schools....(WIns and losses are the regional record for each team)

29. John Carroll, 5-6, OP WP: .6395, OOWP: .5564, NCAA SOS: .612
47. Marietta 7-3, Op WP: .595, OOWP .6013, NCAA SOS .595
112. Heidelberg, 11-2, OP WP: .5162, OOWP: .6084, NCAA SOS .547
169 . Ohio Northern, 6-3, OP WP: .481, OOWP: .5653, NCAA SOS .509
213. Baldwin Wallace, 7-2, OP WP: .4444, OOWP: .5716, NCAA SOS .487
227. Otterbein, 7-1, OP WP: .4634, OOWP, .5094, NCAA SOS .479
232. Capital, 7-4: OP WP: .4598, OOWP: .5028, NCAA SOS .474
258. Muskingum, 3-6: OP WP: .4366, OOWP: .4761, NCAA SOS: .450
264. Mount Union 7-0, OPWP: .3966, OOWP: .5342, NCAA SOS .442
268. Wilmington 0-9, OWP: .4583, OOWP: .4094, NCAA SOS .442

Other in region teams of note:

14 W&J 5-2, OP WP: .7143, OOWP: .5488, NCAA SOS: .659
28. Adrian 4-3, OP WP .6286, OOWP: .5869 NCAA SOS .65
40. Manchester 4-5, OP WP .6286, OOWP: .5440, NCAA SOS, .600
48. Wooster. 3-3, OP WP: .6078, OOWP: .5672, NCAA SOS .594
103 Case Western Reserve, 11-3,OP WP: .5355, OOWP: .5905, NCAA SOS: .554

These numbers will change drastically as the season progresses, and I'll let each of you decide how to interepret what you see. 



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2014, 02:32:25 PM
Mount's game today with Thiel is PPD until tomorrow.  They also have Westminster Wed. at Cene Park.  Hopefully they can get in something prior to JCU Sat.

Also, that SOS stuff doesn't look promising for Musky and Wilm so far considering their records to date.  But as you said, it's very early.  I tend to agree with Spence in that outside of those 2 anyone can beat just about anyone any given day.  It's going to be fun. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 17, 2014, 03:20:16 PM
I think the midweek games are going to be particularly interesting and challenging, especially with the 9 inning games.

I would say more but frankly, I don't want to give anyone any ideas! :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 18, 2014, 03:36:04 AM
Seeing the new site rankings, I'm thinking my personal rankings are a lot better.

George Fox ranked after getting swept by a non-power program (albeit one that did take a game off Linfield, but only one)? smh...

Case only being 23rd is something that makes very little sense as well.

I have Case somewhere like 13 and feel like that might be low. They and Marietta both have 3 losses, all by 1 run, IIRC. And they showed very well in IMO the toughest regional last year.

There's disagreement on the order, but the top dozen or so is about the same as the poll...then it gets crazy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 18, 2014, 09:11:38 AM
OAC schools in the poll:

Marietta (11)
Mount UNion (17)
Berg (ORV)
OTT (ORV)

League games this weekend:
Marietta @ Otterbein
Mount Union @ JCU
Berg @ BW
Cap @ MUSK
Wilm @ ONU

Opening weekend has matchups of the top six schools and will set the tone early. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2014, 12:09:25 PM
Mount has PPD the Thiel game again this time until Thursday.  Tentatively now have Westminster (DH) at Cene Park on Wed, Thiel Thurs and @ JCU Sat.

I'd love to sneak over to Westerville Saturday for that Etta DH, but I don't think work will allow for it.  Too bad they're not playing Friday as it's supposed to drop about 25 degrees from Friday to Saturday here.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2014, 12:17:56 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 18, 2014, 09:11:38 AM
League games this weekend:
Marietta @ Otterbein
Mount Union @ JCU
Berg @ BW
Cap @ MUSK
Wilm @ ONU

Opening weekend has matchups of the top six schools and will set the tone early.

I think Etta sweeps and the others split.  Etta's pitching is too good so far to pick against them until proven otherwise.  I don't trust BW's pitching, but I think their offense is good enough to get them a split.  Mount and JCU are pretty evenly matched IMO so a split is the logical choice there too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on March 18, 2014, 12:44:02 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 18, 2014, 03:36:04 AM
Seeing the new site rankings, I'm thinking my personal rankings are a lot better.


Case only being 23rd is something that makes very little sense as well.

I have Case somewhere like 13 and feel like that might be low. They and Marietta both have 3 losses, all by 1 run, IIRC. And they showed very well in IMO the toughest regional last year.



Spence, I'm not quite as sold on CWRU.  Eight of their 14 games were one-run.  5-3 in those.  1-3 in low scoring games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 18, 2014, 01:02:26 PM
Quote from: ADL70 on March 18, 2014, 12:44:02 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 18, 2014, 03:36:04 AM
Seeing the new site rankings, I'm thinking my personal rankings are a lot better.


Case only being 23rd is something that makes very little sense as well.

I have Case somewhere like 13 and feel like that might be low. They and Marietta both have 3 losses, all by 1 run, IIRC. And they showed very well in IMO the toughest regional last year.



Spence, I'm not quite as sold on CWRU.  Eight of their 14 games were one-run.  5-3 in those.  1-3 in low scoring games.

I don't tend to think 1 run games are as much tossups as many do, particularly since 2011. The 13-12 game probably is, though a lot of that was guys that hardly pitch and errors from guys that won't play much.

One thing that makes it hard to know what to do with Case going forward is that they'll be able to set their pitching to how they want in the northern schedule while teams with conference schedules won't. Makes it tough to know just how well they're playing sometimes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 18, 2014, 01:46:49 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2014, 12:17:56 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 18, 2014, 09:11:38 AM
League games this weekend:
Marietta @ Otterbein
Mount Union @ JCU
Berg @ BW
Cap @ MUSK
Wilm @ ONU

Opening weekend has matchups of the top six schools and will set the tone early.

I think Etta sweeps and the others split.  Etta's pitching is too good so far to pick against them until proven otherwise.  I don't trust BW's pitching, but I think their offense is good enough to get them a split.  Mount and JCU are pretty evenly matched IMO so a split is the logical choice there too.

I think the early spring has shown this might be a three horse race for the top spot, with three others in the mix for spots 2, 3, and 4. 

I think the Berg/BW tilt is the most intriguing.  Berg can swing some lumber for certain.  The thing which will be interesting is to see how well 'Berg's pitching does.  One of BW's top starters sports an ERA of 3.09, while the guy who leads the teams in starts and innings pitched has an ERA in excess of 5.  The way Berg is hitting it that could be a probem for the Jackets.   BW has some pretty impressive offensive stats, but have compiled those against a pretty weak schedule, thus far.  If Berg doesn't beat themselves and gets a solid start from their #2 guy, I see them getting a sweep in Berea.   

Otterbein is hitting it well (again against fairly bad competition) batting .372 as a team.  But their pitching appears to be a complete disaster.  A team ERA of 7.61 and Opponents are hitting  .331 against them.  Their top two starters (based on starts and innings pitched) have an ERA of 6.35 and 7.02.  (Prediction: Both will have the games of their lives on Satuday).   Marietta needs to get the bats going and let Byers and Herstine do their thing.    I agree with the good Doc, I see a Pioneer Sweep.

JCU is somewhat of an enigma this year.  Is O'Brien hurt?  Will he be available against Mount Union, and if so how good will he be.  The guys you would expect to be hitting well are doing just that, but the others, not so much.  A year ago, JCU's strength was its pitching...This year it has been a fairly rough start.  Of their 4 starters, the best ERA of the bunch is 4.72.  LaPaglia, one of their top guys, has struggled thus far, 18.1 IP,  5.89 ERA, OpAvg .301, WHIP 1.528.  I don't see this as a split either.  I see Mount taking 2.  Clarke and Carlino will be good enough. 

I really think, right now, 'Berg, Mount Union, and Marietta are the three chasing the top spot, and there is some seperation between those and the next three teams (JCU, OTT, and BW).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2014, 03:13:29 PM
EttaFan1, you're thinking of Doring.  O'Brien graduated.  Spence was questioning earlier if he was hurt because he hadn't pitched yet.  I haven't checked their stats to see if has since that time.

I never saw Collier pitch last year, but what I did see from Ott was not impressive on the mound beyond Meadows.  They had a lot of "ehhh" guys the games I watched. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 18, 2014, 03:34:18 PM
Manchester loses, 9-5. DePauw must have an amazing offense!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2014, 06:15:43 PM
Now the Westminster DH is PPD with no make up date.  Such is spring time in Ohio. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 18, 2014, 06:53:43 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2014, 03:13:29 PM
EttaFan1, you're thinking of Doring.  O'Brien graduated.  Spence was questioning earlier if he was hurt because he hadn't pitched yet.  I haven't checked their stats to see if has since that time.

I never saw Collier pitch last year, but what I did see from Ott was not impressive on the mound beyond Meadows.  They had a lot of "ehhh" guys the games I watched.

Doring hasn't thrown either. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 20, 2014, 04:46:42 PM
Berg up on OWU 8-0 after 2 innings. We'll make a believer out of you eventually Spence. More offense than the 9th best batting average in the league Marietta sports.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 20, 2014, 06:09:16 PM
Berg now up on OWU 17-0 after 6. Gonna call their opponents a rec league team again Spence?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2014, 07:04:20 PM
Good day for the OAC against the NCAC so far.  Berg stomps OWU.  Cap is up 7-0 at Witt currently too.  I was a little surprised Berg started Fluharty today.  Who is starting against BW?  Huber?  I assumed it would be Thomas/Fluharty Saturday I guess.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 20, 2014, 07:37:34 PM
Yes Dr, I imagine it will be Thomas/Huber Sat.

Marietta split with Laroche. Wonder how Byers gets the win only pitching 3 innings? I assume he started, know he wasn't the last pitcher.

NCAA has finally posted D3 stats through games of 3/16.

Berg leading the country in triples with 23, next closest U Dallas has 14 in 10 more games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2014, 08:36:53 PM
Cap shuts out Witt 12-0.  Witt only had 1 hit through 8 innings (think they finished with 2 or 3).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 20, 2014, 09:06:58 PM
First two innings OWU walked 10 batters. Not many hits, but they hit when it counted. Grand slam after walking the bases full. That put it out of reach. OWU got all of 8 hits.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 21, 2014, 01:20:20 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 20, 2014, 07:37:34 PM
Yes Dr, I imagine it will be Thomas/Huber Sat.

Marietta split with Laroche. Wonder how Byers gets the win only pitching 3 innings? I assume he started, know he wasn't the last pitcher.

Byers gets the win because he was on a predetermined pitch count that was known to the scorer prior to the game. They said on the radio that everyone from MC was on pitch counts.

I asked a D2 SID friend of mine about that very question when Byers was taken out.

Oh, and grow up. Northland is 1-8 against mostly non power teams. Kenyon swept them. So yes, they are pretty much a rec program. That's all I was saying.

Gloat in late May or early June when you have a wooden plank in your hands. In March, it just looks small time.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 21, 2014, 01:50:48 AM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on March 20, 2014, 09:06:58 PM
First two innings OWU walked 10 batters. Not many hits, but they hit when it counted. Grand slam after walking the bases full. That put it out of reach. OWU got all of 8 hits.

Happens. Sometimes you have to decide when to pull the plug on a game too, especially when you have 4 against a very good opponent this weekend. OWU will certainly have a good idea of what they've got after this weekend!

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 09:39:22 AM
Mount is (hopefully) hosting Thiel at 3:30 today.  According to Twitter "weekend schedule still unsettled."  Fingers crossed.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 11:23:08 AM
My look at the stats heading into the first weekend of OAC play found a few interesting things:

JCU is dead last in team ERA at 7.36 despite not walking many guys.  They're just giving up a lot of hits so far.

3 staffs have fewer hits allowed than IP...Etta (comfortably) along with Musky and Mount.  Etta's 1.11 WHIP is also tops.

Wilm doesn't have a guy in the top 50 for batting average in the OAC.  #50 on the list is hitting .303 so I checked...Wilm doesn't have any regular starting hitting above .282 currently.  Team average is .204.  As you'd expect there's a lot of youth there.  It's going to be a looong season for the Quakers.

Mount leads conference with a .377 team BA, but Berg leads in team OBP and slugging.  That 23 triples motorman mentioned is crazy.  Hug has 6 in 63 AB!  The kid is 6'3" 230!  No wonder he plays WR on the football team.

Ott freshman David Lemley is hitting an OAC best .558 (24-53).  With Kettering and Pitzer they could have a nice little middle of the order.  But their staff has struggled so far.  They need Collier to be better going forward.  Not pitching against Big Ten teams will help some I'm sure.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 02:41:57 PM
Mount's SID posted a pic of snow on the ground in Alliance today.  Game with Thiel is PPD yet again.  Who knows about tomorrow @ JCU.  It's 60 and sunny in Columbus right now so I hope somebody outside of NE Ohio takes advantage!

View from the MAAC today. (https://twitter.com/LennyinOhio/status/447035254016987136/photo/1)  Baseball weather?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 21, 2014, 04:17:53 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 02:41:57 PM
Mount's SID posted a pic of snow on the ground in Alliance today.  Game with Thiel is PPD yet again.  Who knows about tomorrow @ JCU.  It's 60 and sunny in Columbus right now so I hope somebody outside of NE Ohio takes advantage!

View from the MAAC today. (https://twitter.com/LennyinOhio/status/447035254016987136/photo/1)  Baseball weather?

Even if the snow melts, is the field going to be dry enough to be playable?

Any chance you're going to Otterbein tomorrow?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 04:32:04 PM
I'm worried because they've been punting this Thiel game for days which means the field was unplayable before the snow.  According to my family up there it snowed an inch, but it was melted within a couple hours so at least it's warmed up some.  Not sure what shape JCU is in though.

A trip to Westerville is unlikely sadly.  Unfortunately my profession all but forbids me from seeing any baseball until after April 15th.  I'll be doing the 2nd most American thing behind watching baseball...taxes. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 21, 2014, 05:12:31 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 04:32:04 PM
I'm worried because they've been punting this Thiel game for days which means the field was unplayable before the snow.  According to my family up there it snowed an inch, but it was melted within a couple hours so at least it's warmed up some.  Not sure what shape JCU is in though.

A trip to Westerville is unlikely sadly.  Unfortunately my profession all but forbids me from seeing any baseball until after April 15th.  I'll be doing the 2nd most American thing behind watching baseball...taxes.

Fair enough. Better you than me. I'm sure you'd be rooting for the bad guys anyway. :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 06:39:06 PM
I only root for Ott outside the OAC.  I'm not a fan of Powell after that hazing incident so it's easy for me to root against them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 07:30:24 PM
And there it is....Mount at JCU is PPD already.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 21, 2014, 08:02:35 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 21, 2014, 01:20:20 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 20, 2014, 07:37:34 PM
Yes Dr, I imagine it will be Thomas/Huber Sat.

Marietta split with Laroche. Wonder how Byers gets the win only pitching 3 innings? I assume he started, know he wasn't the last pitcher.


Oh, and grow up. Northland is 1-8 against mostly non power teams. Kenyon swept them. So yes, they are pretty much a rec program. That's all I was saying.


Why don't you grow up. I'm not the one claiming to be an expert on everything from baseball to when kids should be in class. Guess your Ph D in Education lets you make those statements. It's ok for Manchester kids to miss class, but not ok for OWU and Heidelberg? For your information the OWU-Berg game that got rained out was at 4pm so I doubt it affected OWU players class schedule and Berg kids probably didn't leave until noon so they could have gone to morning classes too.

I just was trying to preempt the crap that Berg is putting up offensive numbers against only inferior teams. Northland is the exception. Ohio Wesleyan's pitching numbers were very similar to Marietta's before yesterday.

That stuff about being on a pitch count and still getting the win is a pile of crap. So if they said he was only on a 15 pitch count he still could get the win? It's always been a rule of scoring that I've known that a starter has to pitch more than half the game to get a win no matter what the situation.

Berg vs BW is going to take place tomorrow at Oberlin. Can't wait to hear what a big advantage it is for Berg since that's one less road DH in conference. Never mind that they gave up home dates vs Adrian and OWU this week to get the games in.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 21, 2014, 09:09:15 PM
At least one organization has recognized what Heidelberg is doing. ABCA coaches poll has them at #16 ahead of Case (#26) and Mount Union among ORV.

Make that 2, Massey ratings have Heidelberg #11, Mount Union #18, and Marietta #21. Also, Case at #25.

http://masseyratings.com/rate.php?s=cbase2014&sub=11620
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 03:35:40 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2014, 06:39:06 PM
I only root for Ott outside the OAC.  I'm not a fan of Powell after that hazing incident so it's easy for me to root against them.

Good point.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 03:44:54 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 21, 2014, 09:09:15 PM
At least one organization has recognized what Heidelberg is doing. ABCA coaches poll has them at #16 ahead of Case (#26) and Mount Union among ORV.

Make that 2, Massey ratings have Heidelberg #11, Mount Union #18, and Marietta #21. Also, Case at #25.

http://masseyratings.com/rate.php?s=cbase2014&sub=11620

Massey's ratings are annually poor for D-III baseball (bad enough that they really make me wonder about them as a former BCS component), and are missing all kinds of results right now as well. Not your first choice if you're looking to support anything right now.

Hard to say right now what the regional rankings would look like if they happened to come out next week, but likely 3 of the top 4 would be from the OAC. What order those would be in is probably anyone's guess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 04:02:10 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 21, 2014, 08:02:35 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 21, 2014, 01:20:20 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 20, 2014, 07:37:34 PM
Yes Dr, I imagine it will be Thomas/Huber Sat.

Marietta split with Laroche. Wonder how Byers gets the win only pitching 3 innings? I assume he started, know he wasn't the last pitcher.


Oh, and grow up. Northland is 1-8 against mostly non power teams. Kenyon swept them. So yes, they are pretty much a rec program. That's all I was saying.


Why don't you grow up. I'm not the one claiming to be an expert on everything from baseball to when kids should be in class. Guess your Ph D in Education lets you make those statements. It's ok for Manchester kids to miss class, but not ok for OWU and Heidelberg? For your information the OWU-Berg game that got rained out was at 4pm so I doubt it affected OWU players class schedule and Berg kids probably didn't leave until noon so they could have gone to morning classes too.

I just was trying to preempt the crap that Berg is putting up offensive numbers against only inferior teams. Northland is the exception. Ohio Wesleyan's pitching numbers were very similar to Marietta's before yesterday.

That stuff about being on a pitch count and still getting the win is a pile of crap. So if they said he was only on a 15 pitch count he still could get the win? It's always been a rule of scoring that I've known that a starter has to pitch more than half the game to get a win no matter what the situation.

Berg vs BW is going to take place tomorrow at Oberlin. Can't wait to hear what a big advantage it is for Berg since that's one less road DH in conference. Never mind that they gave up home dates vs Adrian and OWU this week to get the games in.

Well what do you want to do, penalize the guy for being the starting pitcher? If it's a staff game, doing it the traditional way is only saying "you can't be the winner even if you're the best pitcher (which Byers obviously was) because your coach decided to start the game with you." That's the reason for the rule. My source is an NCAA official scorer who also works minor league games. So I'll take over "always that you've known." Do you do a lot of official scoring?

And yes if you had a guy throw 1 inning on a 15 pitch pitch count and he was the most effective pitcher, he could get the win. Schaly broke up some games with 9 guys throwing an inning apiece. Someone's gotta get the win, why shouldn't the starter have the same chance as the other guys?

There's no getting around that it looks pretty bad to try to play ball and only get 3 batters in. Someone obviously screwed up there pretty bad, probably a couple of someones. Most other teams called off pretty early, IIRC, if not the day before. That was a waste of time for the players when they could have been studying or in class or writing papers or relaxing or lifting or whatever. Very poor planning, and I don't know how you can argue otherwise.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 22, 2014, 07:21:10 AM
Sounds like a cheap way of padding your stats for your best pitcher.

Of course the ranking system that has mighty Marietta ranked the lowest is flawed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 11:56:09 AM
It is the rule, whatever you think of it. You're not the first person to not like it, but doing the opposite penalizes a player for a coach's plan. That doesn't seem very fair to me.

And I've railed against Massey and Boydsworld (who doesn't post D3 rankings anymore; seems he agreed with me that his rankings were flawed) for years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 01:26:15 PM
And the live stream at Oberlin lasts a whole inning and one batter. EDIT: seems to be working again, sporadically. That or someone is taking an ungodly amount of time between pitches.

Guess that's what you get when you play an OAC doubleheader at an NCAC site. Can't believe that's happening.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 02:19:00 PM
Otterbein's Collier leaves the game in the 4th with a knee injury up 4-0 with the bases loaded. Marietta scored 4 in the inning and now leads 6-4 as MC is pounding the reliever.

Hopefully Collier is able to recover this season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2014, 03:22:52 PM
Cap picks up the first win of this OAC season 9-4 over Musky.  Crusaders plated 7 in the first 2 innings to take control right away. 

ONU leads Wilm 4-2 in the 8th behind a pretty nice start from Eltzroth (5.2 IP, ER).

Been listening to the Etta/Ott game.  Too bad about Collier.  He sounded pretty good today until that bum wheel. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2014, 03:58:02 PM
This is getting ridiculous...while the other 8 play today now the Mount @ JCU DH that was pushed to Sunday has already been called off AGAIN now with no make up date set.  Maybe they can drive back to West Mifflin HS so they can at least play a game.  Haha. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2014, 06:16:48 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 18, 2014, 01:46:49 PM
If Berg doesn't beat themselves and gets a solid start from their #2 guy, I see them getting a sweep in Berea.

Pretty much what has happened so far.  Huber was solid in game 2 going 5 and giving up 1 ER.  To probably none of our surprise, BW continues to struggle with their starting pitching.  Capadona went 3 innings in game 2 walking/hitting numerous batters.  An errant pickoff throw also scored a Berg run before he departed.  Neither team played great D in the opener (errors led to 4 unearned runs for each team) and both teams have multiple miscues in game 2 as well.

Musky salvages the split at home with a 8-5 win.  ONU on their way to the predictable sweep of Wilm (6-1 bot 7).

 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 07:14:14 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2014, 03:58:02 PM
This is getting ridiculous...while the other 8 play today now the Mount @ JCU DH that was pushed to Sunday has already been called off AGAIN now with no make up date set.  Maybe they can drive back to West Mifflin HS so they can at least play a game.  Haha.

I'd do this before I'd do what B-W did and give up home field. They still managed a split, but you never know what might have happened on a field they know better. Lot of errors on both teams in the doubleheader.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 07:35:15 PM
Marietta shrugged off a rough first inning at Otterbein to sweep 10-6, 4-2. Herstine with the complete game two.

Otterbein came out swinging the sticks, putting 4 runs on Jason Byers in the first. But like Brewer said, with the 9 inning first game, there's no need to hit the panic button, and Byers was solid from there through six. The relief pitching was wild at times, but good enough.

After last year's OAC tournament, today had to feel good for the Etta Express.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 22, 2014, 10:25:08 PM
Berg did struggle with the gloves again today, won the game they probably should have lost and lost the game they should have won. Chris Thomas won the first game, down 7-2 after 5 innings because of 5 unearned runs, they put 7 on the board to take the lead. Despite the troubles in the field, the offense has bailed them out all year.

Problem with the 2nd game was not adding on after being up 5-1. Bullpen gave up the lead and BW bullpen did their job.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2014, 10:33:43 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 22, 2014, 07:14:14 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2014, 03:58:02 PM
This is getting ridiculous...while the other 8 play today now the Mount @ JCU DH that was pushed to Sunday has already been called off AGAIN now with no make up date set.  Maybe they can drive back to West Mifflin HS so they can at least play a game.  Haha.

I'd do this before I'd do what B-W did and give up home field. They still managed a split, but you never know what might have happened on a field they know better. Lot of errors on both teams in the doubleheader.

JCU gave up home field too.  Games are Monday...at Musky.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 10:44:21 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2014, 10:33:43 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 22, 2014, 07:14:14 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2014, 03:58:02 PM
This is getting ridiculous...while the other 8 play today now the Mount @ JCU DH that was pushed to Sunday has already been called off AGAIN now with no make up date set.  Maybe they can drive back to West Mifflin HS so they can at least play a game.  Haha.

I'd do this before I'd do what B-W did and give up home field. They still managed a split, but you never know what might have happened on a field they know better. Lot of errors on both teams in the doubleheader.

JCU gave up home field too.  Games are Monday...at Musky.

Wow. Crazy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 22, 2014, 11:34:21 PM
Weird that BW didn't use Alioto in either game. Seems like they're still searching for who their top two are. Still, really good last 7 days for them beating Farmingdale, sweeping La Roche (two things Marietta didn't do playing the same teams), and splitting today. Brewer said he thinks the league is one of the best in the country this year and certainly the best in the region.

Should be a good doubleheader next weekend at Schaly Stadium.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2014, 12:45:50 PM
I wonder if Harrison even knows who his top 4 starters are, let alone what order.  It definitely doesn't seem like anyone has emerged yet.  They get flashes from different guys, but there is no consistency so far.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 23, 2014, 01:15:30 PM
Really very simple if you look at BW stats. Alioto has an era over 10 in 3 starts, only pitched 13 innings, has a WHIP over 2 and has allowed 4 HRs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 23, 2014, 03:11:34 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 23, 2014, 01:15:30 PM
Really very simple if you look at BW stats. Alioto has an era over 10 in 3 starts, only pitched 13 innings, has a WHIP over 2 and has allowed 4 HRs.

Yeah, it's definitely that simple.

::)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 23, 2014, 03:54:18 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2014, 12:45:50 PM
I wonder if Harrison even knows who his top 4 starters are, let alone what order.  It definitely doesn't seem like anyone has emerged yet.  They get flashes from different guys, but there is no consistency so far.

True, but not sure it's such a terrible thing that your 2nd best guy last year has two guys in front of him right now and you're 10-3 against D-III.

At least you know you've got some options.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 23, 2014, 09:25:35 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 17, 2014, 10:16:41 AM
Some really early SOS stuff for the OAC schools....(WIns and losses are the regional record for each team)

29. John Carroll, 5-6, OP WP: .6395, OOWP: .5564, NCAA SOS: .612
47. Marietta 7-3, Op WP: .595, OOWP .6013, NCAA SOS .595
112. Heidelberg, 11-2, OP WP: .5162, OOWP: .6084, NCAA SOS .547
169 . Ohio Northern, 6-3, OP WP: .481, OOWP: .5653, NCAA SOS .509
213. Baldwin Wallace, 7-2, OP WP: .4444, OOWP: .5716, NCAA SOS .487
227. Otterbein, 7-1, OP WP: .4634, OOWP, .5094, NCAA SOS .479
232. Capital, 7-4: OP WP: .4598, OOWP: .5028, NCAA SOS .474
258. Muskingum, 3-6: OP WP: .4366, OOWP: .4761, NCAA SOS: .450
264. Mount Union 7-0, OPWP: .3966, OOWP: .5342, NCAA SOS .442
268. Wilmington 0-9, OWP: .4583, OOWP: .4094, NCAA SOS .442

Other in region teams of note:

14 W&J 5-2, OP WP: .7143, OOWP: .5488, NCAA SOS: .659
28. Adrian 4-3, OP WP .6286, OOWP: .5869 NCAA SOS .65
40. Manchester 4-5, OP WP .6286, OOWP: .5440, NCAA SOS, .600
48. Wooster. 3-3, OP WP: .6078, OOWP: .5672, NCAA SOS .594
103 Case Western Reserve, 11-3,OP WP: .5355, OOWP: .5905, NCAA SOS: .554

These numbers will change drastically as the season progresses, and I'll let each of you decide how to interepret what you see.


One week later, through games of 3/23:
                                       OP WP     OOWP  NCAA SOS
20 John Carroll       5-6   .6378      .5560       .611
27 Marietta            11-4  .6017      .5898       .598
52 Heidelberg        14-3  .5756      .5761       .576
81 BW                    10-3  .5548      .5773       .562
118 Otterbein         9-5   .5580      .5291        .548
176 Muskingum       4-7   .5179      .5164       .517
242 Wilmington      0-13  .5071      .4397       .485
255 Capital             9-5    .4519      .5340       .479
273 ONU                 10-3  .4274      .5535       .469
313  Mount Union    7-0   .3836       .5472      .438

21 Wooster              8-4   .6327       .5648      .610
49 Adrian                 7-5   .5906       .5504      .577
85 W & J                   6-7   .5647       .5512      .560
97 Case                   13-3  .5347       .5970      .555

There have been some minor changes since I posted this last night but nothing of significance, i.e. Berg is actually #50 instead of #52. I didn't post it but Manchester fell to #207 this week after 5 games vs DePauw and Hanover, games that they went 1-4 in.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2014, 10:53:59 AM
It's cold, but sunny in central Ohio today.  I've seen no evidence to the contrary on Twitter.  It seems I may actually have some Raider baseball to follow today.  Mount hasn't played in over a week and JCU is around 2 weeks I believe.  At least the pitching staffs are fully rested!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2014, 01:39:27 PM
No live stats for an OAC DH in 2014?  What are we, savages?? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2014, 02:14:55 PM
Game 1 flying by...1-1 after 4.5 and in just an hour. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2014, 02:39:22 PM
JCU up 5-4 in the 7th. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2014, 03:12:19 PM
Walk, walk, walk, bloop single...JCU breaks the 5-5 tie in the 8th.  7-5
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2014, 04:07:34 PM
Grounder under a glove plates 2 more and JCU wins 9-5.  Lapaglia went all 9 thanks in part to Mount's inability to get anything going for multiple innings (11 straight retired at one point).  Streaks got 4 in the 4th, 4 in the 8th.

Mount needs to buckle up and salvage a split.  Don't want to dig a hole out of the gate.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2014, 05:00:03 PM
JCU leads 2-1 after 5 in game 2. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2014, 06:51:03 PM
JCU sweeps Mount 2-1 in game 2.  Raiders hit into bases loaded DP in 8th and have tying run thrown out at home by the CF in 9th.

Game 1 Carlino pitched decently (7 IP, 2 ER) but they made 4 errors resulting in 5 unearned runs. 

Game 2 I feel bad for Clarke.  He gives up 2 runs on 2 hits in the 1st, a single to lead off the 2nd...and not another hit for the rest of the game.  Goes the distance and takes the loss.  Such is baseball.  Just hate to p*ss away a start like that, especially when you really needed the split and he clutched up and gave you a quality start.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 25, 2014, 12:16:02 AM
Here's something I used to do with ACC basketball when I lived in Virginia and they had a double round robin schedule. Road wins are a +, home losses are a minus. For the OAC you have to add road games scheduled though I think because its not equal. Scheduled home games that are moved are still counted as home for the team scheduled as home.

OAC standings (a bit different way)
Team                  OAC       +-        Away left
Marietta              2-0   +2       8
Ohio Northern     2-0   0         8
John Carroll      2-0   0         10
Heidelberg      1-1   +1       6
Capital              1-1   +1       8
Baldwin Wallace  1-1   -1        8
Muskingum      1-1   -1        10
Mount Union      0-2   0         8
Wilmington          0-2   0         6
Otterbein            0-2   -2        8

EDIT: How the heck do you get these things to line up? They line up when I type them but not when they post.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 25, 2014, 08:03:15 AM
Marietta still #11 in this week's poll, Mount Union falls 1 spot to #18 and Heidelberg debuts in the top 25 at #23. Nice showing for the OAC with 3 ranked teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 25, 2014, 04:20:39 PM


TeamOAC+/-
MAR2-0+2
JCU2-00

tables tables tables.  Learn your html ;D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 25, 2014, 07:15:48 PM
OK how did you do that?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 26, 2014, 08:14:02 AM
When you do the reply thing, there is a little button below the "font face" and "Font size" that looks like a sheet of notebook paper. 

You click that and it will put in something which says

<table>
<tr><Td></TD></TR>
</table>

excpet the brackets are the "[" and not the "<". 

TD is for the columns, TR is for the row.

It can be a PITA to do with a large amount of stuff though.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 26, 2014, 11:56:08 AM
So you just highlight everything and hit that? I feel like I tried this before and it didn't work the way I expected.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 26, 2014, 12:05:56 PM
Don't know about the highlighting and hitting a button,  I typed the td and tr stuff in manually, which was a real PITA.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 26, 2014, 12:46:05 PM
Oh the hell with it, it's not that complicated a chart. Y'all can follow it.

Basically it's a par system with a home win/road loss as par.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 26, 2014, 02:18:38 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 26, 2014, 08:14:02 AM
When you do the reply thing, there is a little button below the "font face" and "Font size" that looks like a sheet of notebook paper. 

You click that and it will put in something which says

<table>
<tr><Td></TD></TR>
</table>

excpet the brackets are the "[" and not the "<". 


TD is for the columns, TR is for the row.

It can be a PITA to do with a large amount of stuff though.

This look right? I created a template and just pasted Spences info in.
OAC standings (a bit different way)












TeamOAC  +/-  Away left
Marietta2-0+28
Ohio Northern2-0 08
John Carroll2-0 010
Heidelberg1-1+16
Capital1-1+18
Baldwin Wallace  1-1-18
Muskingum1-1-110
Mount Union0-2 08
Wilmington0-2 08
Otterbein0-2-28
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 26, 2014, 02:29:43 PM
Looks good to me! 

Anyhow...on to this weekend's league matchups and predictions for those who dare....

Best matchup of the weekend:  BW @ Marietta.  The only two of the "big six" who meet this weekend.  Can Byers and Herstine continue to provide the strong pitching against a strong hitting BW squad.  Marietta isn't hitting like a typcal Pioneer squad.  This could be an interesting matchup.  Because it is in the tropical confines of southeastern Ohio (and based on weather reports will likely get pushed to Sunday, when it will be sunny and a BALMY 58 degrees  ;D) I like the Pioneers to take two. 

Suprisingly better matchup than expected:  Ohio Northern @ Mount Union.  Nobody here really picked ONU to be part of the "big six," but they are off to a decent start this spring.  They could give the Raiders a decent battle, but I look for Carlino and Clarke to bounce back and have strong outings against the Bears.  Mount takes two.

Cross town show down:  The annual Otterbein/Capital Matchup.  Big question mark here:  Will Collier return for the cardinals?  If not this could get more interesting.  I like Otterbein in both of these, but won't be suprised by a high scoring split. 

Fishing in peaceful Valley:  Muskingum travels to Tiffin.  Muskingum isn't very good.  Berg really needs to make sure they take two to keep pace on the lead pack.  I think Berg sweeps.

The weekly Wilmington Gimmie:  John Carroll heads to Wilmington.  Seems like it might be a waste of diesel. JCU with two solid and convicing wins. 

Last week:  I picked a Marietta sweep (2-0), a 'Berg sweep (1-1) and a Raider sweep (0-2)  That makes me 3-3 in the big games of the weekend.  I didn't pick the other two seires, becuase I didn't care, and still don't believe those teams will be in the race for the tournament.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 26, 2014, 04:02:29 PM
Ohio Northern has a pretty good ERA. We'll find out this weekend if it's real or not against Mount's bats. Mount really needs to get back on track here with what they have coming.

Muskingum lost their first 5 with a ridiculously young team, but since then have won 6 of 8 including wins over some pretty decent programs. Very unpredictable team right now.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 26, 2014, 04:16:03 PM
Yeah wins against salem St and Haverford. Yet 2 losses to Hiram. OWU's game against the Muskies today, was postponed to the 16th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2014, 09:05:29 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 26, 2014, 04:02:29 PM
Ohio Northern has a pretty good ERA. We'll find out this weekend if it's real or not against Mount's bats. Mount really needs to get back on track here with what they have coming.

Muskingum lost their first 5 with a ridiculously young team, but since then have won 6 of 8 including wins over some pretty decent programs. Very unpredictable team right now.

Yeah, with JCU, Berg and Etta as 3 of their first 4 their conference schedule definitely appears front loaded now.  Losing 2 winnable games against JCU has the heat turned up already.  They need a sweep to get back on track.  I think they get it.  If they emerge from the Etta DH sitting at 4-4 I'd take that and run.

I like that BW got in a tune up with Dayton today to get ready for Etta.  I think Etta takes 2, but BW is definitely dangerous.  Without question the headliner this weekend.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2014, 07:38:56 PM
Sheesh, talk about a confidence booster heading into ONU.  Mount loses 15-0 at home to Allegheny.  Quick thoughts on this thumping:

The pitching match up wasn't exactly apples to apples.  Mount went Johnny Whole-staff with a couple guys who haven't pitched much (or at all) getting knocked around late as they gave up 3 in the 8th, 7 in the 9th.  But they also had a couple guys who they count on in the pen get hit around too.  Allegheny had Davis, their ace, go 8 innings.

Raiders were just sloppy again today.  3 wild pitches, 4 passed balls and 5 errors.  That's gross. 

They need to get the scoring going.  1 unearned run in the last 19 innings isn't the way to go into a crucial "get your season back on track" DH.  They just haven't been getting the hit with RISP lately. 

Perhaps I'm crazy, but I still think they sweep ONU.  I think Carlino and Clarke come through with good starts and hopefully the bats do enough to win it.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 27, 2014, 07:41:54 PM
W&J beats Marietta, 12-10 in 10 innings. Lot of pitchers on both sides, but a second straight western PA team gets a non-conference win against MC that it really needed after a rocky start.

Neither Byers nor Herstine pitched at all, which was a little surprising.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 27, 2014, 09:40:48 PM
Andrew Doring saw his first action of the season for John Carroll, starting and pitching 2 scoreless innings against Ohio Wesleyan.

I had them as the primary contender to Marietta in the preseason in the league. If he's right, they may yet be.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 28, 2014, 04:27:19 PM
Berg wins the first game of the top 25 matchup with Case 3-2. Sr 2B Joe Staab drove in all 3 runs for Heidelberg.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on March 28, 2014, 06:24:25 PM
CWRU wins nightcap 6-1  John Fortunato CG 1 R 5H  both games were 9 innings

Aggregate CWRU 8 Berg 4
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 28, 2014, 07:34:31 PM
I don't think the aggregate means a thing, each team gets 1 W and 1 L.

In the nightcap, Derek Hug must have been tired of legging out triples as he hit his 1st home run of the season.

By the way Dr A, he is a tight end, not a WR on the Berg football team.

Saw forecast that there may be 3 inches of snow in the Findlay/Tiffin area Sat. They haven't moved Muskingum games yet but would bet they don't play Sat.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 28, 2014, 08:58:54 PM
Seems like Palm was almost banking on that throwing Hendrixson 3 innings, and Manner 3 innings in Game 2.

Did both teams go in looking for a split? Heidelberg threw their better pitching in Game 1, CWRU in Game 2.

Is that normally an overnight stay for Muskingum for a Saturday game or do they go up day of?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 28, 2014, 09:00:31 PM
Quote from: ADL70 on March 28, 2014, 06:24:25 PM
CWRU wins nightcap 6-1  John Fortunato CG 1 R 5H  both games were 9 innings

Aggregate CWRU 8 Berg 4

Pretty crazy that two teams with the offensive numbers they have only managed 12 total runs in 2 games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 28, 2014, 11:20:46 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 28, 2014, 08:58:54 PM
Seems like Palm was almost banking on that throwing Hendrixson 3 innings, and Manner 3 innings in Game 2.

Did both teams go in looking for a split? Heidelberg threw their better pitching in Game 1, CWRU in Game 2.

Is that normally an overnight stay for Muskingum for a Saturday game or do they go up day of?

That would seem to be the smart thing to do, given the weather forecast. If there is virtually no chance you are playing on Sat, why not use your closer as much as you need him today?

Maybe Case went in looking for a split. That certainly looks like their philosphy when you save your ace for the 2nd game of a DH. Especially when the guy with the 2nd most starts on your team has an ERA over 9. Hope you get lucky in the first game and if you don't your ace is there to salvage a split since you are facing the other team's #4.

It isn't an overnight stay for Muskingum. The story on Berg website said a decision would be made before Muskingum's bus was to leave on Sat.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 29, 2014, 12:35:00 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 28, 2014, 11:20:46 PM
Quote from: Spence on March 28, 2014, 08:58:54 PM
Seems like Palm was almost banking on that throwing Hendrixson 3 innings, and Manner 3 innings in Game 2.

Did both teams go in looking for a split? Heidelberg threw their better pitching in Game 1, CWRU in Game 2.

Is that normally an overnight stay for Muskingum for a Saturday game or do they go up day of?

That would seem to be the smart thing to do, given the weather forecast. If there is virtually no chance you are playing on Sat, why not use your closer as much as you need him today?

Maybe Case went in looking for a split. That certainly looks like their philosphy when you save your ace for the 2nd game of a DH. Especially when the guy with the 2nd most starts on your team has an ERA over 9. Hope you get lucky in the first game and if you don't your ace is there to salvage a split since you are facing the other team's #4.

It isn't an overnight stay for Muskingum. The story on Berg website said a decision would be made before Muskingum's bus was to leave on Sat.

Yeah the forecast definitely doesn't look good. I'm not saying anything bad about Palm using Hendrixson, just that he definitely seemed to be playing the forecast there from the start, not starting Hendrixson at short was a pretty good sign that he'd be the first out of the pen.

O'Driscoll is the #4? I guess I thought Manner was...guess it's still pretty fluid.

It seems like Heidelberg planned to go with Fluharty and Hendrixson from the start, which makes me wonder if they knew Case was throwing a FR in the first game. Or it could be like you said that Case knew what Berg would do and went opposite. Hard to say...just interesting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2014, 08:46:26 AM
Looks like everything is PPD to Sunday.  ONU at Mount is the only one I didn't see anything about, but I have to think it's coming any minute.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 30, 2014, 08:01:19 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2014, 08:46:26 AM
Looks like everything is PPD to Sunday.  ONU at Mount is the only one I didn't see anything about, but I have to think it's coming any minute.

Berg and Musky going to try again Monday, hopefully this crappy white stuff is gone by then. Hard to believe snow on the ground now and Tues it is supposed to be in the upper 60s.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2014, 09:26:21 AM
BW/Etta is pushed back to 4pm.  All others pushed to Monday too. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2014, 05:11:08 PM
Etta radio guy just said it's supposed to be 72 there Tuesday.  Crazy.  Must be windy as heck there today as BW is having all kinds of trouble with infield pop ups.  3-2 Jackets after 4.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2014, 06:46:52 PM
4 runs off of Byers is about as much as you can reasonably hope for.  9 walks, a HBP and 5 errors isn't going to cut it when you're in the field though.  You can't give Etta that many free passes and extra outs.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 30, 2014, 08:09:17 PM
I think the strike zone was pretty tight for both teams. Sounded like it from the broadcast.

Brewer was none too impressed with the product of either team.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 30, 2014, 08:43:42 PM
I was really surprised looking at BW stats, they have won 10 games and 9 different pitchers have those wins. Guess that would make it difficult to decide who your top 4 pitchers are.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 30, 2014, 09:34:16 PM
Nothing cheap about B-W's Game 2 win, even though it was 2-1. Marietta had just four hits, and they got 8 off Herstine. Cory Waite pitched really well to start and then Cichocki was just too much late.

B-W now 2-0 in the back end of the conference doubleheader. They may not have a true blue ace, but they seem to have enough to keep them in games, and they swing the bats and make contact. And if you're behind after 7, you've got an uphill battle dealing with Cichocki.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2014, 10:49:07 PM
Navigate Berg and Etta at 2-2. BW can't be mad about that. I'd take it for sure. Just keep holding serve.  Honestly, even par through those 2 is a leg up in my opinion.  You have to figure at worst you're even with the rest of the conference.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 31, 2014, 12:24:39 AM
They probably feel like they let one get away against Heidelberg -- almost all the runs they gave up were in one inning. Fielding .950 is something you'd like to see change if you're going to tip them to do big things.

But they're probably better than most of their numbers. They've played 4 games against scholarship programs, including two D-Is.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 31, 2014, 01:23:48 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 23, 2014, 09:25:35 PM


One week later, through games of 3/23:
                                       OP WP     OOWP  NCAA SOS
20 John Carroll       5-6   .6378      .5560       .611
27 Marietta            11-4  .6017      .5898       .598
52 Heidelberg        14-3  .5756      .5761       .576
81 BW                    10-3  .5548      .5773       .562
118 Otterbein         9-5   .5580      .5291        .548
176 Muskingum       4-7   .5179      .5164       .517
242 Wilmington      0-13  .5071      .4397       .485
255 Capital             9-5    .4519      .5340       .479
273 ONU                 10-3  .4274      .5535       .469
313  Mount Union    7-0   .3836       .5472      .438

21 Wooster              8-4   .6327       .5648      .610
49 Adrian                 7-5   .5906       .5504      .577
85 W & J                   6-7   .5647       .5512      .560
97 Case                   13-3  .5347       .5970      .555

There have been some minor changes since I posted this last night but nothing of significance, i.e. Berg is actually #50 instead of #52. I didn't post it but Manchester fell to #207 this week after 5 games vs DePauw and Hanover, games that they went 1-4 in.

Strength of schedule through games of 3/30

                                       OP WP     OOWP  NCAA SOS
5 John Carroll          8-6   .6491     .5520        .617
10 Marietta            12-6  .6245      .5724       .607
12 Heidelberg        15-4  .6290      .5504       .603
32 BW                    11-4  .5818      .5796       .581
180 Otterbein        10-5   .5000     .5333        .511
221  Mount Union    7-3   .4758       .5349      .496
230 Muskingum       4-9   .4933      .4877       .491
261 Wilmington      0-13  .4914      .4508       .478
283 ONU                 12-3  .4309      .5281       .463
292 Capital             9-6    .4286      .5180       .458


8 Wooster              8-4   .6278       .5690      .608
15 W & J                  7-7   .6219       .5579      .601
67 Case                  14-4  .5404       .5943      .558
99 Rose Hulman      11-4  .5581      .5103       .542
100 Adrian             12-5   .5316       .5629      .542
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 31, 2014, 09:30:55 AM
Quote from: Spence on March 30, 2014, 08:09:17 PM
I think the strike zone was pretty tight for both teams. Sounded like it from the broadcast.

Brewer was none too impressed with the product of either team.

Don't know that I would say it was tight.  Looked pretty good in both games from the guys behind the plate.  The first Umpire didn't care for the inside part of the plate against lefties, but was fairly generous wth the outside corner. 

It wasn't the prettiest baseball you'll ever see, that's for certain.

Marietta's offense isn't on par with what you would expect from a traditional Pioneer squad.  Hat's off to Waite of BW, guy had our number all night long, and even the ones we hit hard, we hit at people.  Marietta is pitching well, and is pretty solid defensively.  The biggest weakness right now is hitting the baseball, and that has to improve if they are going to compete for the top spot in the OAC this year.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 31, 2014, 12:38:05 PM
Well I get my info in-game from Johnny and gang, so take that as you like haha. They're entertainers and good at that, no complaints I love listening to them and am thankful they put up the web stream which I'm sure makes them next to no money.

Most of the guys in the lineup have hit in their careers...just not right now. Was hoping the first game helped the mental aspect but Game 2 suggests otherwise. But MC has lost games like that before, and B-W usually seems to play Marietta well.

Waite has only given up 1 earned run against D-III though and only Webster has really hit him much. Might just be unfortunate that after he was effective against Heidelberg that they gave him the shot to start.

BW has home and home with Case this week in non-conference...should be interesting.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2014, 02:09:12 PM
Nice day outside and we've got some good ball games so far.  Ott up 3-0 over Cap in the 4th.  It's Ellis not Collier on the hill.  Hope Collier is just nursing a sore knee and nothing serious.  Musky and Berg tied 2-2 through 4.  ONU leads Mount 3-1 through 4 in a game still awaiting its first earned run.  Eltzroth is pitching well for ONU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2014, 03:13:39 PM
Sheesh...Mount cannot get the offense going at all.  Down 6-2 in the 8th they load the bases with nobody out desperately needing to score at least 2 in that scenario.  They get 1...RBI groundout then a 6-4-3 DP. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 31, 2014, 05:45:34 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2014, 02:09:12 PM
Nice day outside and we've got some good ball games so far.  Ott up 3-0 over Cap in the 4th.  It's Ellis not Collier on the hill.  Hope Collier is just nursing a sore knee and nothing serious.  Musky and Berg tied 2-2 through 4.  ONU leads Mount 3-1 through 4 in a game still awaiting its first earned run.  Eltzroth is pitching well for ONU.

I know Nick well. I am glad to see him having sucess this year so far. Sorry it is against your MU squad doctor. OWU scheduled to play them Weds, Clearly we will not be seeing Eltzroth, pitching anyway.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2014, 06:22:08 PM
No need to apologize.  It's kind of expected right now.  Mount isn't going to be scoring much if any off of competent pitching the last couple weeks.  They're down 3-2 late in game 2 and have had 6 straight donuts hung on them by 3 different pitchers.  They play small ball and when you're having trouble executing your situational hitting and not getting 2 out hits you don't score for long stretches like this.  It's too bad because Carlino pitched pretty well (6.2 IP, 2 ER).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2014, 06:42:13 PM
Wow!  With 2 down Mount balks a guy to 2nd then gives up a single to score the insurance run for the Bears.  4-2.  Mount's bats have been lifeless for 6 innings.  It's over.  Nope.  They get back to back singles to start the bottom of the 9th and then the wheels fall off for ONU.  Bunt attempt is thrown away scoring one and putting guys on 2nd and 3rd.  Wild pitch scores the tying run.  RBI single chases home the game winner.  That went from a disasterous day to salvaging a split in less than 10 minutes.  Great job by Olasz and Morino to get things going and put the pressure on right away. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on March 31, 2014, 06:55:19 PM
OAC standings (a bit different way)
Team                  OAC       +-   Rd. left   OAC teams played
John Carroll   4-0      +2         8   MTU, WILM
Marietta   3-1      +1      8   OTT, BW
Ohio Northern   3-1      +1        6   WILM, MTU
Heidelberg         3-1      +1       6   BW, MUSK
BaldwinWallace   2-2      0        6   HEID, MAR
Otterbein         2-2      0          6   MAR, CAP
Capital           1-3      -1       8   MUSK, OTT
Muskingum         1-3      -1        8   CAP, HEID
Mount Union     1-3      -1         8   JCU, ONU
Wilmington       0-4      -2           6   ONU, JCU

Obviously when everyone's played the same number of home-road games, the plus-minus doesn't matter much.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 01, 2014, 12:46:41 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 31, 2014, 01:23:48 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 23, 2014, 09:25:35 PM


One week later, through games of 3/23:
                                       OP WP     OOWP  NCAA SOS
20 John Carroll       5-6   .6378      .5560       .611
27 Marietta            11-4  .6017      .5898       .598
52 Heidelberg        14-3  .5756      .5761       .576
81 BW                    10-3  .5548      .5773       .562
118 Otterbein         9-5   .5580      .5291        .548
176 Muskingum       4-7   .5179      .5164       .517
242 Wilmington      0-13  .5071      .4397       .485
255 Capital             9-5    .4519      .5340       .479
273 ONU                 10-3  .4274      .5535       .469
313  Mount Union    7-0   .3836       .5472      .438

21 Wooster              8-4   .6327       .5648      .610
49 Adrian                 7-5   .5906       .5504      .577
85 W & J                   6-7   .5647       .5512      .560
97 Case                   13-3  .5347       .5970      .555

There have been some minor changes since I posted this last night but nothing of significance, i.e. Berg is actually #50 instead of #52. I didn't post it but Manchester fell to #207 this week after 5 games vs DePauw and Hanover, games that they went 1-4 in.

Strength of schedule through games of 3/30

                                       OP WP     OOWP  NCAA SOS
5 John Carroll          8-6   .6491     .5520        .617
10 Marietta            12-6  .6245      .5724       .607
12 Heidelberg        15-4  .6290      .5504       .603
32 BW                    11-4  .5818      .5796       .581
180 Otterbein        10-5   .5000     .5333        .511
221  Mount Union    7-3   .4758       .5349      .496
230 Muskingum       4-9   .4933      .4877       .491
261 Wilmington      0-13  .4914      .4508       .478
283 ONU                 12-3  .4309      .5281       .463
292 Capital             9-6    .4286      .5180       .458


8 Wooster              8-4   .6278       .5690      .608
15 W & J                  7-7   .6219       .5579      .601
67 Case                  14-4  .5404       .5943      .558
99 Rose Hulman      11-4  .5581      .5103       .542
100 Adrian             12-5   .5316       .5629      .542

Funny how much this changed in just one day.

Marietta is now 4, Allegheny 7, Woo 10, Denison 14, BW 17, W&J 26, Berg 28. JCU 54, Case 58. Case's SOS should skyrocket in the next couple of weeks, and Marietta's will likely fall a good bit playing Mount Aloysius and Muskingum, but then they play Case again. JCU's SOS is also solid considering they're done with Wilmington. They should end up looking very solid as well. Of course all the specifics of this are subject to change at any moment due to weather!

More broadly, I think Brewer's prophecy on the OAC this year is proving out. Here's hoping for some out of conference wins and a boatload of OAC teams in the regional rankings in a few weeks.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 01, 2014, 03:20:25 PM
Things start getting interesting in the conference race now....This starts the stretch of games with the midweek series in between.

Game of the weekend:  Cap @ WIlmington.  just kidding.

Really the game of the weekend:  Mount Union (1-3) @ 'Berg (3-1) A split puts Mount in a difficult spot going forward, and would make clinching the top spot in the OAC very difficult...(4 losses with Marietta, BW, and Otterbein still on the slate) Getting swept, puts them in a bind to simply make the field.  A split for Berg is not the end of the world, IMO.   I just don't know what to make of the Raiders this year.  'Berg is tough, they are making some real noise.  I'd like to think that Mount has it in them to beat a really good team.  My prediction:  I think a split is likely.  If it is a sweep, it will be 'berg with the brooms.   Mount has a mid week game against Marietta, 'Berg has a midweek game with Capital.

Suprisingly better matchup than you anticipated at the beginning of the year:  JCU (4-0) at ONU (3-1).  the surprise isn't that JCU is 4-0, it is probably that ONU sits at 3-1.  Of course both teams have sweeps against lowly Wilmington to boost that record.  JCU started the year on a rough patch, while playing a strong schedule.  ONU will give them all they want.  JCU takes 2, though in the end and gets off to a 6-0 league start. 

A difference maker in the tourney race:  Ott (2-2) @ BW (2-2)  BW's pitching is a little eratic.  Other than Waite who was nails last Sunday.  with Collier possibly sidelined, it may make it difficult for Otterbein.  Could be a little offense on display in Berea.  I like BW to take two.

Muskingum (1-3) @ Marieta (3-1):  Marietta takes two. 

The Two free wins with a visit to historical downtown Wilmington:  Capital (1-3) @ Wilmington (0-4).  Wilmington has one win Total.  They hit a scorching .197 as a team.  Cap wins two.   

After this we get some good midweek matchups:  Marietta @ Mount, BW @ JCU, ONU @ OTT, Berg @ CAP, and Wilm @ MUSK. 

Who has a a quality #3 and #4 pitcher? We'll find out a week from Wednesday (weather permitting)!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on April 02, 2014, 10:01:47 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 28, 2014, 07:34:31 PM
I don't think the aggregate means a thing, each team gets 1 W and 1 L.


Guess not since Berg leapfrogged the Spartans in the poll?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 02, 2014, 10:30:20 AM
Wasn't Case on the road as well?

I have Case the highest ranked team in the region right now despite the loss to Marietta. I think Marietta has the highest ceiling, but right now they've been too inconsistent and you can't rank a team higher based on one game forever...that just doesn't work.

Oh well, Case being out of the regional is already almost impossible to imagine. So it'll all work itself out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 02, 2014, 03:47:41 PM
Marietta FR Jim Luyster ties an all-divisions record today against Mount Aloysius.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on April 04, 2014, 02:59:31 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 02, 2014, 03:47:41 PM
Marietta FR Jim Luyster ties an all-divisions record today against Mount Aloysius.

Which one?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 04, 2014, 09:08:50 PM
Fewest pitches in an inning -- 3

Held by many. :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 04, 2014, 11:33:43 PM
Quote from: ADL70 on April 02, 2014, 10:01:47 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 28, 2014, 07:34:31 PM
I don't think the aggregate means a thing, each team gets 1 W and 1 L.


Guess not since Berg leapfrogged the Spartans in the poll?

I guess the poll voters took into account that Case used #1 and #2 starters and Berg was using #3 and #4 and still split.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 01:13:54 AM
I remember when something like this was brought up on the board earlier this year and a certain someone dismissed it as making excuses.

Never mind that I don't think that was Case's #2, or at least it hadn't been. And that it was a home/road game rather than neutral site in Florida.

I wonder if a team has ever had an easier OAC schedule than Berg this year. Got out of a road trip against one of the better teams in the conference, leaving trips to Cap, Wilmington and Ohio Northern. It's like Palm faxed them the schedule himself.

If Berg doesn't make the OAC tournament again, they've got absolutely no one to blame. Really, if they're any good they should end up hosting it with that kind of schedule.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jack Parkman on April 05, 2014, 01:15:14 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 04, 2014, 09:08:50 PM
Fewest pitches in an inning -- 3

Held by many. :)
Dang, I was looking at the box score trying to figure it out and started to doubt my baseball knowledge. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 01:26:30 AM
He got the first guy out on one pitch in the next inning too, I think.

Mount Aloysius 4th - Luyster to p for Herstine. Dick grounded out to ss
(0-0). Bortner grounded out to 3b (0-0). Gully grounded out to p, bunt (0-0).
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Not a particularly noteworthy record, but I bet no one's ever thrown fewer! :) Only way I can think of it being possible is if an ump called enough strikes for batting violations -- like taking too long to get into the box or something -- for a guy to strike out. Or walk and then get picked off, i suppose. Either way, I seriously doubt it's ever happened.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 05, 2014, 02:26:38 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 05, 2014, 01:13:54 AM
I remember when something like this was brought up on the board earlier this year and a certain someone dismissed it as making excuses.

Never mind that I don't think that was Case's #2, or at least it hadn't been. And that it was a home/road game rather than neutral site in Florida.

I wonder if a team has ever had an easier OAC schedule than Berg this year. Got out of a road trip against one of the better teams in the conference, leaving trips to Cap, Wilmington and Ohio Northern. It's like Palm faxed them the schedule himself.

If Berg doesn't make the OAC tournament again, they've got absolutely no one to blame. Really, if they're any good they should end up hosting it with that kind of schedule.

Been waiting for this. You have been hinting at it all year. If Berg wins it's because of their schedule. If it isn't the ultimate in making a backhanded excuse for your team by cutting down what someone else is doing. I got news for you buddy, the OAC schedule is made up several years in advance so there wasn't any making up the schedule themselves. This is the whole point of your stupid little chart of + and - for road wins/home losses. With 9 league DHs half the teams are playing 10 road games and the other half are playing 8. I think BW or anybody else would have been doing the right thing by moving the home game to a playable neutral site rather than having the games stack up like last year and have to play 6 games in 4 days. I hope if Heidelberg's field isn't playable this weekend they find somewhere to play the games. Knew you wanted to complain about who Berg was playing in the mid week series when Marietta and Mount play each other and Berg back to back. Looks now like Marietta is catching a break playing Mount with their 3 and 4 pitchers, but of course Byers and Herstine will probably start those too and be on a pitch count so they can pad their win totals.

Since the first regional rankings came out last year on 4/13, guess we are a little more than a week away from seeing the first one this year. Marietta wouldn't even be in my top 5. Really, losing to Mt Aloysius, Laroche and Montclair St? I never said Berg was going to win the league, let alone regionals yet you have been putting down everything they have done. You fell back on the infantile "let's hear you brag when you are holding a trophy" argument. It is the same crap I hear from a Pittsburgh Steeler fan everytime they get beat "so what we have X number of Super Bowl trophies" (X because I don't know or care how many it is!) We are talking about this year, not what was done in the past. Good thing Wilmington is in the league so the anemic Pioneer offense isn't last in the league.

Oh by the way, since the Marietta freshman tied an NCAA all division record, guess he is Marietta's best pitcher.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 03:16:32 AM
Hook. Link. Sinker. At 2:30 in the morning, no less. Sometimes I even impress myself.

If you've been waiting for it, then it can only be assumed that you know that it's true that the schedule is a gift. However it was gotten, it's the easiest schedule I've seen in 20 years of following the league. Only 1 of the first 6 league DHs on the road. Wow. You all probably laugh amongst yourselves about it. Btw, the schedule wasn't made years in advance, it was in Oct 2012. But you're still being pretty presumptuous even thinking about winning the league though 4 games into the season when you're not even in first now and playing Mount Union today. Pretty insulting to last year's league champions, wouldn't you say?

I'll be interested to see whether Heidelberg sets up to throw their top 2 against MC or current first-place John Carroll 3 days later. Both at home, of course.

I wish I had as much confidence as you apparently do that Byers and Herstine throwing against a quality opponent for 3 innings means they'll be padding win totals (meaning they both get wins). I think Mount Union is a quality opponent and playing them on the road is going to be a great challenge for our guys.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 05, 2014, 07:42:05 AM
You are the only one impressed by you. I did not make the excuse about Berg vs. Case. I was trying to explain the apparent reasoning for Berg jumping Case in the poll when they split. Unlike you, I wasn't putting forth the opposite opinion I gave earlier. Berg expected to beat Case with their #3 and #4 pitchers. You first said why didn't Manchester play Berg earlier, their kids are going to miss classes later in the season and then bemoan the fact the Berg went to OWU (1 of 2 non conference home games Berg gave up just to get the games in) only to get rained out and have the kids miss class.

If the schedule was done in Oct 2012 that is more than a year ago, so the snide remarks about how it was made are just childish. I don't think it is presumptuous at all to think about winning the league when Heidelberg is ranked in the top 20 in the country. You are one to talk about being insulting Mr Rec League Team. I'll remind you of my opinion of Mount when the season is over. I've seen many of those kids play since they were 14 years old and they are good kids.

If you are fishing for Berg's rotation plans, it isn't any mystery. Thomas and Huber will probably be there unless they bump Fluharty to #2 and put Huber #3. Someone said we'll see who has quality #3 and #4 starters, I would put Berg's up against anybody if Manner is pitching like he did vs Laroche. Whining about the schedule is like all the commotion about D1 basketball seedings. You have to beat them on the field to take the championship, complaining about it is just a bunch of useless noise.

Maybe I should have said the Marietta coaches will try to pad their starters stats. Given their recent history vs Mount they are probably only good for 1 win. Winning the conference tournament may get you the automatic bid into the tournament, but I don't consider them champions for mopping up after Otterbein knocked out mighty Pios out. The regular season is a truer test of who the champion is.

Glad you are so concerned about what time I am awake. Not that it is any business of yours but I just had gotten home from work. See you don't have much of a life, had to respond at 3:15am.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 05, 2014, 07:46:56 AM
This is the current ABCA coaches poll

April 1, 2014 ... next poll: April 8
Rank School Record* Points Last Rank
1. Linfield (Ore.) (16) 21-3 480 1
2. Wis.-Stevens Point 10-1 462 3
3. Cal Lutheran 20-5 432 6
4. Southern Maine 12-4 419 5
5. Kean (N.J.) 14-4 410 4
6. Webster (Mo.) 12-3 396 7
7. Cortland (N.Y.) State 14-4 346 8
8. Trinity (Texas) 21-6 343 2
9. Concordia-Chicago 12-2 338 9
10. Wis.-Whitewater 10-2 333 11
11. Concordia (Texas) 19-3 306 17
12. Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) 21-6 277 10
13. Heidelberg (Ohio) 15-4 275 14
14. Rhodes (Tenn.) 21-6 254 16
15. Rowan (N.J.) 11-3 239 15
16. St. John Fisher (N.Y.) 12-1 233 20
17. Johns Hopkins (Md.) 12-2 206 19
18. Marietta (Ohio) 12-6 202 13
19. George Fox (Ore.) 20-6 185 23
20. Tufts (Mass.) 12-1 164 24
21. St. Thomas (Minn.) 9-5 161 12
22. Salisbury (Md.) 13-6 148 18
23. Case Western (Ohio) 14-4 145 22
24. Shenandoah (Va.) 18-4 141 26
25. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) 17-6 75 21
26. Buena Vista (Iowa) 13-3 72 25
27. Endicott (Mass.) 9-2 68 rv
28. York (Pa.) 11-2 66 27
29. Lynchburg (Va.) 15-4 51 30
30. Emory (Ga.) 20-9 39 29
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 10:32:21 AM
That's just great...um...you win the midseason being ranked in the top 15 contest? Do they have a wooden plank for that?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 11:01:49 AM
Quote from: motorman on April 05, 2014, 07:42:05 AM
You have to beat them on the field to take the championship, complaining about it is just a bunch of useless noise.

You know, I had thought about a lot of other things to write as I read your post, but then I got to this and just laughed.

Buddy, you don't have to tell anyone from Marietta how winning championships works.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 12:54:18 PM
Brewer just said that Herstine will not be the Game 2 starter today. Byers will start Game 1.

So interesting development there...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on April 05, 2014, 02:15:33 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 05, 2014, 12:54:18 PM
Brewer just said that Herstine will not be the Game 2 starter today. Byers will start Game 1.

So interesting development there...

Saving him for CWRU tomorrow?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 02:28:02 PM
Don't know.

ETA: Mike Finlan is the Marietta starter in Game 2. Marietta made five other lineup changes between games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2014, 03:51:17 PM
Mount is frustrating me today.  Give up 7 runs in an inning and you literally give them 5 of them as runs were forced in on consecutively a HBP, BB, BB and then 2 scored on an E4.  You have to make them earn it!  Sigh.  Luckily they got a big 3 run HR off of Hendrixson in the next inning to tie it back up.  10-10 score in the 8th now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on April 05, 2014, 04:09:06 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 05, 2014, 02:28:02 PM
Don't know.

ETA: Mike Finlan is the Marietta starter in Game 2. Marietta made five other lineup changes between games.

Spartans are saving Fortunato and Johnstone

Edit: I misspoke about Fortunato, he pitched Thursday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 04:15:59 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2014, 03:51:17 PM
Mount is frustrating me today.  Give up 7 runs in an inning and you literally give them 5 of them as runs were forced in on consecutively a HBP, BB, BB and then 2 scored on an E4.  You have to make them earn it!  Sigh.  Luckily they got a big 3 run HR off of Hendrixson in the next inning to tie it back up.  10-10 score in the 8th now.

I guess Hesse just made up his mind he's not going to chase this game?

Little doubt now that Hendrixson is *clearly* Heidelberg's best pitcher. Twice now in the first five OAC games he's bailed out the starter. I think he's now tied for the OAC lead in wins.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 04:17:10 PM
Quote from: ADL70 on April 05, 2014, 04:09:06 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 05, 2014, 02:28:02 PM
Don't know.

ETA: Mike Finlan is the Marietta starter in Game 2. Marietta made five other lineup changes between games.

Spartans are saving Fortunato and Johnstone

Didn't expect anything else. Going to be a very tough ask for MC. Any chance for rain? haha.

ETA: Spartans certainly shouldn't lack for confidence after their DH sweep today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2014, 04:36:07 PM
Berg sputters in the red zone and settles for 3 field goals.  16-10 final.  8 walks, 4 HBP.  Have to get better pitching in game 2.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 05:43:04 PM
4 HBP ...guess Berg had that forward lean going.  ::) Maybe they'll break their own record, and what an honorable record it is.

It's too bad not enough umpires have the guts to enforce the rules...

2) If the batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball and the pitch is out of the strike zone, the pitch shall be called a ball. The ball is dead, no runners may advance and the batter is not awarded first base unless the pitch is ball four.

A.R.— If the batter freezes and is hit by a pitch that is clearly inside the vertical lines of the batter's box, the ball is dead and the batter is awarded first base.

(3) If the batter intentionally gets touched by moving or rolling any part of his body into the pitch and the batter does not swing, the ball is immediately dead; the umpire shall call a strike or ball in accordance with 7-4b and7-5a

If a guy crowds the plate like a lot of hitters do, about the only way the A.R. can apply by the description given ("clearly *inside* the lines of the box) is if he gets hit in the rump.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2014, 07:52:20 PM
Berg completes the sweep.  Mount pitched poorly today.  No other way to say it.  They can't seem to put together the pitching, hitting and defense in the same game.  Sitting at 1-5 with Etta in town Tuesday they're already in must win mode if they want any chance of making the conference tourney.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 08:18:34 PM
Yeah, I'm sure we'll see two really motivated teams in that DH. Marietta really needs to keep contact during this supertough stretch, and of course Mount is fighting for their lives already.

I thought Mount should have been more aggressive pitching-wise in chasing that first game. It's almost like they were thinking the first game was a freebie and expected to win the second. When Thomas got knocked out early, they needed to do everything to pounce on that game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2014, 08:38:56 PM
In game 1 they went to Sason early and he's been their best guy out of the pen by far IMO.  He's been really good and he gets a lot of strikeouts which obviously helps defuse a jam.  He must have just been off today.  It happens.  They seem to be walking a lot of guys in general and that's a problem, especially when you're not playing great defense. 

To me the thing that adds even more pressure is that there are no DH's beyond Wilm that you can point to and say "I'm confident we can sweep them."  You can't afford to put yourself in must win DH's because the conference is too competitive this year.  It's going to be next to impossible to rattle off multiple sweeps because 8 of the other 9 teams can play some ball too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2014, 08:42:28 PM
Hey Spence, who is Etta going to throw Tuesday?  Byers went today and Herstine will probably go tomorrow?  It could be interesting for both sides since Murzynski and Ceriani both pitched some relief today.  I don't know how many pitches they threw though.  I would imagine those two or possibly Toma for Mount. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 05, 2014, 09:25:08 PM
I have no idea who will pitch Tuesday! I don't even know who will pitch tomorrow. The next 6 games is going to be just ridiculous. Can't say Brew is dodging anyone scheduling 2 at Case for this time in the season.

As far as today, it's really a tough one because you want your starter to go deep, but if you were willing to bring Murzynski on in the 5th, then I don't know why you don't just go to him first. You know Berg is going to be leaning into anything close to hitting someone, so I like the senior for that reason too. It would be nice if Marietta's staff had seniors, but that's sort of the price paid to keep that 2011-2012 group together.

I feel like Mount should have taken a page out of Palm's book and gone with Murzynski, and then all things remaining the same, you can pull him when he tires and bring in Ceriani or Bekelsky and have a chance to win the game. Of course, he could have thrown gas on the fire, in which case then pull him for another game and then use whoever to finish the game. The other option is to trust Clarke to get an out, but I understand he had been battling uphill most of the game.

Now anything short of a sweep against Marietta leaves you basically needing to run the table to be confident of being in the conference tournament. That's going to be a really intense doubleheader.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 06, 2014, 12:16:19 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 05, 2014, 05:43:04 PM
4 HBP ...guess Berg had that forward lean going.  ::) Maybe they'll break their own record, and what an honorable record it is.

It's too bad not enough umpires have the guts to enforce the rules...

2) If the batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball and the pitch is out of the strike zone, the pitch shall be called a ball. The ball is dead, no runners may advance and the batter is not awarded first base unless the pitch is ball four.

A.R.— If the batter freezes and is hit by a pitch that is clearly inside the vertical lines of the batter's box, the ball is dead and the batter is awarded first base.



(3) If the batter intentionally gets touched by moving or rolling any part of his body into the pitch and the batter does not swing, the ball is immediately dead; the umpire shall call a strike or ball in accordance with 7-4b and7-5a

If a guy crowds the plate like a lot of hitters do, about the only way the A.R. can apply by the description given ("clearly *inside* the lines of the box) is if he gets hit in the rump.

I won't dignify anything you have spewed with a response. Logic apparently doesn't exist in your universe.

Where is your cute little plus/minus chart now?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2014, 01:02:50 AM
Only 2 league DHs got played. I've got them updated, but figured there's not much point in posting them until games tomorrow get played.

Carroll is still on top in +-, obviously, and will be at the end of the "gameday". The plus-minus is just a way to get more information from the standings. I don't really know if they'll be much use or not, I know I found them useful for basketball. So don't pay attention to them if you don't care.

LOL logic...I guess it's just random that Heidelberg holds the record for most times hit by a pitch in a season, and looks to be giving it a run this year too. Only two teams are in the D3 single-season record book list for HBPs more than once. I wish it wasn't in the book at all -- it's like a record for "most times reached on error" or "most bases gained by wild pitch." To me trying to get hit by a pitch is like diving in soccer. I hope no team I support is ever a national leader in HBPs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on April 06, 2014, 12:55:47 PM
Correcting myself again.

It was Weds that Fortunato pitched.  5 ip 78 pitches

He's going in game one on three days rest  vs Crowl
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2014, 01:35:32 PM
Adam Collier getting the start for Otterbein at B-W. Good to see he's back in action.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2014, 03:24:53 PM
Quakers score a pair in the bottom of the 8th to tie it.  3-3 going to the 9th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 06, 2014, 03:26:39 PM
Marietta's bad week continues. Lost first game to Case 10-5.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 06, 2014, 03:29:27 PM
Dr. A, is Weber catching for Mount because of being better backstop or has Stotler been hurt? I was impressed yesterday, he did a great job throwing. Berg didn't have a stolen base that I recall, several were thrown out stealing. Their averages are pretty close so thought it had to be for his D.

Just went back and looked at the box scores, it was only 1 caught stealing. I did think there was a lot of bad body language on the Mount side of the field. Morino put on a display on one of the bases loaded walks that some umps wouldn't have put up with, jumping up and down on the ball 4 call. Carlino looked pretty sulky on the mound too, throwing his hands up after a ball call. Berg really looked like the team that wanted it more, Andrew Zenczak scoring from 2nd on an infield single in the first game and Alex Grove scoring from 2nd on a Sac fly in the 2nd game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2014, 03:39:30 PM
Glad you're paying so much attention to us.  ;)

I think everyone knew this was going to be a challenging afternoon. I remember a similar DH against Wooster in 2007 where we got beat by football scores and then ended up winning the regional and knocking Wooster out along the way.

Hopefully a lot of young guys are getting some experience today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 06, 2014, 03:57:59 PM
Quakers scored in bottom of 9th to get their first conference win 4-3 over Capital.

Unlike you Spence, I am a fan of all of college baseball.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2014, 04:01:56 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 06, 2014, 03:57:59 PM
Unlike you Spence, I am a fan of all of college baseball.

::)

Yeah I don't know anything about any other teams. I also definitely don't have a stream of Rowan-Ramapo going right now.

Hopefully you're listening to Johnny and Mark in Game 2. Their running commentary about the sorority tug-o-war was hilarious.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 06, 2014, 04:33:05 PM
Don't waste my time listening to a bunch of homers. I did watch the Purdue-Penn State game on the Big 10 Network earlier if you are so concerned about what I do on a Sunday afternoon. Was just trying to perfect the skill you have of knowing who the best players on a team are having never seen them play. Wonder if you actually read the post from Dr. A that you quoted with your most recent pronouncement on Berg's pitchers. Based on the karma scores, a whole bunch of other people know how lacking in intelligence some of your statements are.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2014, 05:07:14 PM
You're really showing your ignorance now. Most of the -k I have (which dates back YEARS) came from being attacked by a bunch of people on one of the football boards.

I was right, as usual, just that a bunch of people didn't like that I was right. Whatever...matters none.

I don't pay for cable, speaking of wastes. If I want to see Big Ten baseball, I'll take a 10 min bike ride to the nearest Big Ten ballpark...which now that the weather's turning, I might. The Big Ten network is a particularly spectacular hoodwink. I would never have imagined people paying to watch middling baseball, hockey, and Olympic sports just to get a few Tier 3 football and basketball games and a bunch of "remember when" type shows. Impressive work by Jim Delany to monetize something in the aggregate which had effectively no value (other than Minnesota hockey).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: TaxCollector on April 06, 2014, 06:12:46 PM
ONU and JC split. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2014, 06:16:24 PM
And now, by popular demand (and by that I mean motorman loves it so much)...

OAC standings (a bit different way)
Team                  OAC       +-   Rd. left   OAC teams played
John Carroll   5-1      +3         6   MTU, WILM, ONU
Heidelberg         5-1      +1       6   BW, MUSK, MTU
Marietta   4-2      0      8   OTT, BW, MUSK
Ohio Northern   4-2      0        6   WILM, MTU, JCU
BaldwinWallace   4-2      0        6   HEID, MAR, OTT
Otterbein         2-4      0          4   MAR, CAP, BW
Capital           2-4      0       6   MUSK, OTT, WILM
Muskingum         2-4      0        6   CAP, HEID, MAR
Mount Union     1-5      -1         6   JCU, ONU, HEID
Wilmington       1-5      -3           6   ONU, JCU, CAP

So basically, John Carroll and Wilmington are the only teams that have significantly outperformed par, suggesting the race is closer than the standings make it appear.

April 9
Marietta at Mount Union
Baldwin-Wallace at John Carroll
Heidelberg at Capital
Ohio Northern at Otterbein
Wilmington at Muskingum
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 06, 2014, 06:36:40 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 06, 2014, 03:26:39 PM
Marietta's bad week continues. Lost first game to Case 10-5.

No update to this post? FR Tyler Nieberding throws probably the best game that's been pitched against Case this year and Marietta earns a pretty tough split. Not bad for throwing your #5/6 guy.

I think Marietta got better today in both games, and that's the day-to-day objective from now through May.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 07, 2014, 02:44:38 PM
Midweek Mayhem is upon us!  Only two midweek double headers dot the OAC schedule and this is the first.  Next week is the second.

Most intriguing matchups...

Part 1.  BW (4-2)  at JCU (5-1).  Does this qualify as a cross town rivalry?  Anyhow...JCU sits tied atop the standings with 'Berg.  BW is playing good baseball and is showing they are a quality squad.  Who has pitching depth?  It is likely #1 and #2 won't be available for many innings on short rest, but you never know.  Should we expect anything more than a split?  This is a good matchup.  (My pick:  I like a lot of runs in both games and a split.)

Part 2.  Mar (4-2) @ Mount (1-5).  It is time to push the panic button in alliance.  They are in real danger of missing the tourney all together.  Splits won't help their cause.  Again more mid week pitching fun.  Mount and Marietta both got their double headers in on Saturday, so the #1 and #2 guys could be available for this one on three days rest.  Marietta's pitching strategy could be anyone's guess at this point.  Brewer doesn't save pitchers, but I'm not sure who goes at this point.  Usually mid week games the #1/#2 guys get a few innings followed by Johnny wholestaff.  If mount gets swept, I think they are left out of the OAC tourney.  IF Mount sweeps, there is a chance to get to #4.  IF Marietta is swept, top seed is all but off the table.  A sweep keeps the Pio's in the race for the top spot, and a split hurts that a lot.  Tons riding on this series.  If I knew the pitching scenario for Marietta, I would be better able to make a confident pick.  Not knowing that, I think it is a split.

Factor in the tournement:  ONU (4-2) @ Ott (2-4).  Northern's surprise continues.  Otterbein really needs a split to keep pace.  I'll pick a split.

Yawn:  Berg (5-1) @ Cap (2-4):  Berg big, twice.  Stays in the lead and awaits Marietta On Saturday.

Quaking in your boots because Wilmington comes to town:  Wilm (1-4) vs Musk (2-4). 



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 07, 2014, 07:22:04 PM
The MC-MTU doubleheader is going to be a battle. Mount will be desperate for wins, while Marietta will be looking to build on improved offense the last 3 games. Two losses in the league is not really a panic situation, but they'll be motivated and they'll know they're facing a team that's practically fighting for their lives already.

BW-JCU should be interesting. Will Doring throw for Carroll? We really need some BW and JCU supporters on the board.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2014, 04:22:41 PM
That was brutal to listen to.  There's nothing else to say.  19 runs on 26 hits.  Ouch.

JCU and Berg both won their openers to keep a game up on Etta. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 09, 2014, 08:30:00 PM
Race starting to take shape now.

Mount has most of their tougher conference games out of the way but would likely need to go 8-2 or better to have any real shot of 4th. They have to win their next 4 to be able to see a way to it, IMO.

B-W dropped 2 but they have played HEID, MAR, and JCU already. 4-4 doesn't seem like a terrible place with a home series against Wilmington next.

No real logjams in the standings right now. Plenty of time to create some though! :)

OAC standings (a bit different way)
Team                  OAC       +-   Rd. left   OAC teams played
John Carroll   7-1      +3         6   MTU, WILM, ONU, BW
Heidelberg         7-1      +3       4   BW, MUSK, MTU, CAP
Marietta   6-2      +2      6   OTT, BW, MUSK, MTU
Ohio Northern   5-3      +1        6   WILM, MTU, JCU, OTT
BaldwinWallace   4-4      0        6   HEID, MAR, OTT, JCU
Muskingum         4-4      0        6   CAP, HEID, MAR, WILM
Otterbein         3-5      -1          4   MAR, CAP, BW, ONU
Capital           2-6      -2       6   MUSK, OTT, WILM, HEID
Mount Union     1-7      -3         6   JCU, ONU, HEID, MAR
Wilmington       1-7      -3           4   ONU, JCU, CAP, MUSK
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 10, 2014, 08:45:50 AM
Some interesting things happened yesterday.

1.  JCU sweeping BW was significant.  This was a solid pair of wins for the Streaks, and it was a quality opponent they faced.  The implications of this could be significant down the road in both first tier and second tier tie-breakers.  BW did not help their cause at all.

2.  Mount Union being swept was also significant.  Mount's tournament chances are on life support.  7 losses already with BW and Otterbein on the horizon (along with Wilmington, capital, and Muskingum.  One more loss will probably send them home far earlier than they expected, and with the strength of the league, it may not be enough as it is.  I really thought they were a significant contender. 

3.  Northern is far better than what I thought they would be.  THey are hanging in the race for the playoffs. 

So we are almost to the midway point of league play....

The contenders for the top spot:
1 (tie) Heidelberg (7-1).  Games remaining:  Marietta, JCU, @Wilm, OTT, @ONU.  Likely sweep remaining: @Wilmington.  This is a fairly tough slate of games remaining.  The two toughest series are at home, and are this saturday and tuesday. 
1. (tie) JCU (7-1).  Games remaining: @OTT, @Berg, Cap, @MAR, Musk.  Likely sweep remaining: Cap.  A tough road series at Otterbein, and two big ones at Berg and Marietta. 
3. Marietta (6-2, 1.0 GB).  Games remaining: @Berg, Cap, @ONU, JCU, @WILM.  Likely sweeps remaining: Cap and Wilmington.  Tough games remain with trips to Berg and Northern, and ahome stand with the Streaks. 

IN the hunt to make the field:
4. Ohio Northern (5-3, 2.0 GB of the leaders) Games remaining: @Muskingum, BW, Mar, @Cap, Berg.  Possible sweeps: @Cap.  Muskingum has been tricky, and the Jackets, Marietta, and Berg are strong teams. If they play .500 ball the rest of the way, 10-8 may just be enough. 
5 (tie) Baldwin Wallace (4-4, 3 GB the leaders, 1 GB fourth place).  Games Remaining: Wilm, @ONU, Mount, @Musk, Cap:  Likely sweeps: Cap and Wilmington.  @ONU provides the toughest test, IMO.  Mount Union, if they get going in the right direction can be difficult. They really need to finish the year 6-4 or better.  Of this group, they have the best shot.
5. (tie) Muskingum (4-4), 3GB the leaders, 1GB Fourth place). Games reamaining:  ONU, @Mount, @Ott, BW, @JCU.  Likely sweeps: none.  reasonable potential to be swept: BW & @JCU.  I think playing .500 ball the rest of the way is going to be a tall task for the fish, getting over .500 could be even more difficult. 
7.  Otterbein (3-5, 4GB the leaders, 2GB Fourth). Games remaining:  JCU, @Wilm, Musk, @Berg, Mount.  Likely sweeps: @Wilmington.  Reasonable potential to be swept: JCU & @'Berg.  at 2 games below .500 the cards need to finish their last 10 at at least 7-3, if not 8-2 to assure a spot in the tournament.  They really ned to split with JCU and Berg, and sweep the rest.  Sadly, I think this is going to be difficult. 

On life support...
8.  Cap (2-6, 5 GB the lead, 3 GB fourth).  Games remaining: Mount, @Mar, @JCU, ONU, @BW.  Likely sweeps: none.  reasonable potential to be swept. Yes.  It is really hard to look at this slate and see more than one or two wins.  Mathematically they haven't been eliminated, but realistically they are out. 
9.  Mount Union (1-7, 6 GB the lead, 4gb fourth):  Games remaining: @Cap, Musk, @BW, Wilm, @Ott.  Likely Sweps: Cap and Wilmington.  Reasonable potentail to be swept: Since they haven't shown anyone differently, @BW. Mount Union really needs to go 9-1 in their last 10.  If they do, I don't want to see them in the tourney!  Get a split with BW and sweep everyone else. 
10.  Wilmington (1-7, 6GB the lead, 4 GB fourth): Games remaining. @BW, Ott, Berg, @Mount, Mar.  Likely sweeps: hahahahahahahahahaha. reasonable potential to be swept: All of them.  There isn't a realistic win in the bunch. 

After 5/3, I think you are going to have to be 10-8 or better to make the tournament.  Just don't see how anyone is going to get in with a worse record.

With that, the weekend games look like this.

Top Matchup: Marietta @ Heidelberg--A lot riding on this one.  Marietta's bats have awakened in the last five games.  'Berg is still a rock solid squad.  A sweep either way puts the ones with the broom in the driver's seat and makes it almost impossible for the loser to be the top seed.  These teams really don't like each other and it has become the best rivalry in the league.  My prediciton: a split.

Mount @ Cap: This is interesting becuase we will see if Mount has given up mentally.  Even so, they should still win 2. 
ONU @ Muskingum:  Northern really needs to come out of this with a sweep. I think they have the pitching to do it. 
JCU @ Ott: Tricky but doable for the streaks.  Otterbein can swing it a little.  I like the streaks for 2.

In a hitting slump? dial wilimgton, the have a cure for all of your ills: Wilmington @ BW....this gets really ugly.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 10, 2014, 09:54:45 PM
A couple of Berg notes I didn't get around to posting on Sunday cause I was too busy wasting my money watching cable TV:

With the sweep of Mt Union, Berg matched it's win total of last season at 20 and exceeded their run total from last year in just 24 games. Little history lesson: After 24 games last year they were just 13-11, but their #1 and #2 pitchers were in the middle of each missing a month of the season.

The sweep of Capital yesterday was big in that they got 2 complete games from #3 Kyle Fluharty and #4 Adam Manner. That keeps the top 2 and the bullpen fully rested for Marietta. Should be a battle Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 11, 2014, 12:42:26 AM
"After 24 games last year they were just 13-11, but their #1 and #2 pitchers were in the middle of each missing a month of the season."

Who's making excuses now?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 11, 2014, 01:01:24 AM
I'll make you a deal jerk, don't comment on anything I post and I won't comment on anything you post.

I am talking about last year. At least I am not saying, "_____ isn't any good cause they aren't facing other teams best pitchers and they have an easy schedule and blah, blah, blah." People are tired of hearing your crap.

And we really don't care about your opinion of cable TV or the Big Ten Network. If anybody did, maybe they'd ask you about how you feel about the amazing internet and smart phones and them darn horseless carriages. Think they have a future?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 11, 2014, 01:14:31 AM
I honestly don't care if you comment on anything I post. If I cared, I wouldn't post it.

I would think anyone else on a message board would be the same. I'm certainly not going to let someone tell me what I can and can't respond to (unless it's a moderator of course, and then I've no real choice).

Bottom line is earlier in the season you claimed I was making excuses because I was talking about pitching availability in given games. Then you go and do the same thing in reference to last season, because apparently that's OK. I really don't see any issue with pointing that out for everyone.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 11, 2014, 01:15:59 AM
Give me a break, you sit up at night and think of ways to get a reaction from me. Evidence your hook, line, and sinker comment. Maybe you need to get a life beyond this chat board, maybe find a woman that isn't inflatable.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 11, 2014, 01:18:18 AM
Quote from: motorman on April 11, 2014, 01:01:24 AM
And we really don't care about your opinion of cable TV or the Big Ten Network. If anybody did, maybe they'd ask you about how you feel about the amazing internet and smart phones and them darn horseless carriages. Think they have a future?

You are saying you don't care about my opinion but then asking me an opinion-based question anyway? I'm not sure if I should answer, not answer, or just laugh.

Heck I'm even getting along with 108 Stitches these days. You are literally the only person on this board that has a significant problem with me. Which is fine, I don't care. I've certainly known people that didn't like me that affected my life a lot more.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 11, 2014, 01:25:32 AM
Quote from: motorman on April 11, 2014, 01:15:59 AM
Give me a break, you sit up at night and think of ways to get a reaction from me. Evidence your hook, line, and sinker comment. Maybe you need to get a life beyond this chat board, maybe find a woman that isn't inflatable.

I'm not whether to laugh or feel sorry for you.

I started to outline my life and how my time is spent, but then I realized...there's no reason to. I don't owe you that, and you haven't done anything to deserve it.

Not sure someone that actually admits to watch mediocre Big Ten baseball on television has any room to talk about other people having a life. I can barely watch any baseball on TV. Just too slow. Going to the ballpark is different. Hoping to trek the 6 blocks to the nearest MLB stadium soon.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 11, 2014, 08:10:39 AM
Don't talk to me about being an attention whore, you had to respond to my posts on 3 different threads here last night at 1am. I have talked to another poster on here, and he doesn't know what your problem with me on here is. I don't post anything offensive or controversial, but you attack everything I ever post. And you have made every effort to cheapen what Heidelberg has done this year. Guess you can't stand it if the might Pios have some competition. I have gotten along fine with EttaFan, but you are giving Marietta fans a bad name. Maybe they should have an intervention for you.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 11, 2014, 01:07:29 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 11, 2014, 08:10:39 AM
Don't talk to me about being an attention whore, you had to respond to my posts on 3 different threads here last night at 1am.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had a curfew.

Also, I was asleep by 1 a.m.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: TaxCollector on April 11, 2014, 01:15:43 PM
I just signed up to be a part of this message board last week.  After watching this back and forth crap by 2 grown me, I'm out.  I'll find another message board to follow. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 11, 2014, 01:24:05 PM
That's quite unfortunate. Most posters don't get as intimately involved in personal life details as motorman is about mine.

I would encourage you to give it an honest chance. Do you follow a particular school?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 12, 2014, 07:02:14 AM
It is definitely a sign of the strength of the OAC that they have 4 of the top 13 teams and 5 of the top 23 in strength of schedule.

Northland, the rec league team (someone else's term, not mine) that Heidelberg beat 37-2 has gone on a 6 game winning streak to take over first place in the UMAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 12, 2014, 01:09:09 PM
Boy, you're going to get a trophy made for just that game, aren't you?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 12, 2014, 06:33:30 PM
Berg and Etta split. 4 to 1 and 9 to 7. Etta won 1st game as Berg's defense turned a 2-1 nail biter into a 4-1 contest. In the 2nd game, Steve Huber only allowed 2 hits but 4 runs thanks to 5 walks. Derek Hendrixson got the save despite allowing a 3 run HR in the top of the 9th. DH Eric Monroe was 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a triple in the 2nd game. With all the top 4 in the league splitting today, nothing has changed in the league standings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2014, 10:17:16 PM
Nice split for Ott today. 

Mount brought the bats out on Cap big time.  30 runs on the day.  Big day for Grosscup (6-10, HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI).  First AB's for freshman Nick Piotrowski this year.  He hit leadoff and had multiple hits both games.  He played 2B and my guess is he's the heir apparent at SS.

Another absolute must sweep Tuesday against the Fish.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 12, 2014, 11:55:18 PM
A little surprising (but not much) that Heidelberg used both their top 2 guys today with John Carroll coming up and knowing Byers wasn't going to start the second game. I guess Palm figured they had to get one today or Tuesday didn't matter much.

Will also be interesting to see how much Palm can get out of his best pitcher Tuesday after an extended relief outing. The other time he threw 3 days after pitching to 15+ batters was against Adrian, his worst outing of the season so far.
Also, apparently now an 8.10 ERA with a WHIP near 2 is effective enough pitching to qualify for a 3+ inning save? Don't want to hear anything else about stats being padded after that.

Elsewhere...
Ohio Northern continues to pitch very well (1.95 ERA in league play). Wins against them are going to be tough. Not a bunch of strikeout artists on the staff, but they've been effective. Biggest week of baseball coming up for them since probably the 90s hosting BW and Marietta.

John Carroll's sweep of BW may be the most significant result of the season so far. Even a split Tuesday keeps them top.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 13, 2014, 08:43:54 AM
Pull out your rule book and read it. There is nothing about margin of victory, WHIP, or anything else in the save rule. You pitch 3 innings and finish a game it is a save and always had been whether you win by 1 or 41.

Not a bit surprising that Berg used their top 2 to start the 2 most important games of the season. Will be #3 Fluharty and #4 Manner against JCU. The best #3 and #4 in the league. Was more surprising that Marietta had to use their top 2 pitchers in the same game to get a win. Take Herstine out and not bring Byers in and Marietta is in jeopardy of getting swept, that's why. Get in the Etta pen and you have an excellent chance against them. Noticed there weren't any NCAA All Division records set yesterday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 13, 2014, 12:03:49 PM
Actually, we're both wrong.

The rule is two parts -- Part I is the pitcher finishes the game and his team wins (obviously), and the pitcher does not get the win (also obviously). Part II is that Part I happens after coming in with a lead of 3 runs or fewer, OR when the tying run is at bat or in the on-deck circle, OR after at least three innings of "effective" pitching. I would quote it to make sure, but the NCAA site is not working properly. Regardless, I'm pretty darned certain that's correct, if not precisely verbatim.

Since the bases were loaded when Hendrixson came on, he actually met that criteria for a save even though it was 7-2 at the time. 

So you were wrong about the rule and I was wrong about whether or not it should have been a save.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 13, 2014, 01:03:28 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 13, 2014, 08:43:54 AM
Not a bit surprising that Berg used their top 2 to start the 2 most important games of the season. Will be #3 Fluharty and #4 Manner against JCU. The best #3 and #4 in the league. Was more surprising that Marietta had to use their top 2 pitchers in the same game to get a win. Take Herstine out and not bring Byers in and Marietta is in jeopardy of getting swept, that's why. Get in the Etta pen and you have an excellent chance against them. Noticed there weren't any NCAA All Division records set yesterday.

That's flattering talk of the most important games, considering John Carroll came into the day with a better conference record than Marietta did. Didn't expect such a statement of respect for a 3rd place team. "Most important games of the season"...wow, still in the first half of April as well.

I wasn't surprised at all about Byers. Expected, really. He started earlier in the week so this would have been his short outing day, and he threw fewer than 90 pitches anyway. He's done it twice in staff games, only difference is he was the starting pitcher in those but still wasn't going to go more than 2-3 innings.

What I'm interested to see now is if Byers starts against Capital or is used in relief and then starts against Northern. We'll find out soon enough, I guess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on April 13, 2014, 01:08:07 PM
Spence

I couldn't access the NCAA site, but what I could see is that the NCAA adopts MLB Rule 10, 10.19 defines save and the third option is pitch three innings, no mention of effectiveness.  You are thinking of the rule for a reliever getting a win when the starter goes fewer than five innings, and the reliever enters with a lead.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 13, 2014, 01:45:38 PM
No, that's not what I'm thinking of at all.

----
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/Stats_Manuals/Baseball/baseball_softball_scorebook.pdf

SAVE
SECTION 26. If a relief pitcher meets ALL of the following conditions, the official scorer
should credit that pitcher with a save:
a. He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team;
b. He is not credited with the win, and
c. He meets one of the following conditions:
(1) He enters the game with a lead of not more than three runs and pitches at least one
inning;
(2) He enters the game with the potential tying run on base, at bat or on deck, or
(3) He pitches effectively for at least three innings.
----
Hendrixson met c(2), which oddly means that if that's the case you don't have to pitch effectively. If the score had been 8-2 when he came in, the scorer could have chosen not to give him a save despite pitching 3+ innings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on April 13, 2014, 01:51:07 PM
+k
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 14, 2014, 08:26:09 AM
The second version of midweek mayhem is upon us. 

Best matchup:  JCU (8-2) @ Berg (8-2).  The leaders.  A sweep by either has huge implications.  1.  It puts the other in the drivers seat for the top spot.  2.  The tie breaker scenarios, both first tier and second tier would be substantial. 

Second best:  BW (6-4) @ ONU (6-4).  These two teams currently are tied for the last tournament spot, 1 game ahead of Muskingum (who split with ONU and has not yet played BW).  This could go a long way to eliminating one team from playoff contention (a sweep) or just muddy the waters (a split).  Wilmington provided plenty of batting practice for the jackest this past Saturday, but they will be facing a lot better pitching.

Playoffs!:  Muskingum (5-5) @ Mount (3-7).  Mount did what they had to do against Capital last week to have a shot-Sweep the crusaders.  Now they REALLY need to do the same against a pesky group of fish.  I still think the last playoff spot will have a league record of 11-7 or better, so this series means a lot, to both teams.  Muskinum can't afford to be swept, and Mount cant afford a split.  This could be an elimination series of sorts.

Keeping pace:  Cap (2-8) vs. Mar (7-3).  Marietta needs to take care of business to stay in the hunt for the top spot.  Tripping up against poor teams will not get you there.  Cap is pretty poor.

The Beatings will continue until morale improves:  Ott (4-6) @ Wilmington (1-9)  Having looked at the scores from the BW series over the weekend....Yowza.  Ott can climb back into the thick of things by being 6-6 after tuesday.

Key tie breaker things...

Of course the first tie breaker is head to head results.  But the next set is how well you did against the teams at the top and working your way down.  Some key developments on this front. 

1.  JCU sweeping BW.  BW is my favorite to be fourth.  Let's just say BW and JCU split this week, and then Marietta and JCU split later, forcing a three way tie for first.  Marietta and 'Berg split with BW.  The tie break goes to the streaks (if BW is fourth). 
2.  Mount being swept by BW, JCU, and MAR.  If they are tied with anyone this could be an undoing. 

It is looking like Tusday's games will get pushed to Wednesday (at least here in SE Ohio). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 14, 2014, 01:19:21 PM
Hopefully we don't get the same 2 umps as last year for the Berg-JCU games. First time I ever saw the infield fly rule called with runners at 1st and 3rd bases and less than 2 outs. That was bad enough but then we compounded the problem by not catching the pop up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 14, 2014, 03:47:06 PM
Dr A, pulling an all-nighter tonight? harkening back to the undergrad days? Don't envy you these next 2 days.

Big series for the Raiders will be BW. They may get help with ONU with teams they have left but even a split with BW is fatal when they are 3 games back of 4th place.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2014, 04:58:02 PM
Haha, nope...I'm just scrambling trying to get extensions done now.  The last of my timely filed returns were picked up Saturday.

I'm worried enough about Musky.  I can't even think about BW.  Musky is 5-5.  They're good enough to sweep Mount so this is a tall order tomorrow.  Carlino and Clarke went Saturday so I assume it'll be a 3-4 matchup for the midweek DH.  Could get interesting.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 15, 2014, 08:55:01 AM
Looks like Mother Nature with the sweep today.   :(  As a fan I applaud this.  I was not going to sit and watch baseball in these temps. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 15, 2014, 11:07:46 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 15, 2014, 08:55:01 AM
Looks like Mother Nature with the sweep today.   :(  As a fan I applaud this.  I was not going to sit and watch baseball in these temps.

as a former Ohio resident, now a Texan going on 9 years, it's funny how things change.  My high school kids that I coach are complaining about having to play today as well....because the temps could be in the low 50's at game time  :D

I will never forget playing OAC double-headers in snow flurries; and I will always be grateful for the weather I have down here.

Good luck to all OAC teams as they play this week; and GO ETTA EXPRESS!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 15, 2014, 11:59:42 AM
Well that's a big break for teams that threw their 1 and 2 on Saturday and would rather use them Wednesday than Friday.

Probably affects BW and Ohio Northern the most, since they have two pretty challenging doubleheaders in the next 3 days now. They'll have to manage relief pitching unless they get long starting outings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 16, 2014, 12:59:08 AM
Looks like BW-ONU is off for tomorrow, as is Muskingum-Mount Union.

John Carroll-Heidelberg and Capital-Marietta still on as of now. From the looks of the hourly snow depth plot, I wouldn't bet on baseball in Tiffin.

http://www.weatherstreet.com/weather-forecast/ohio-snow-cover.htm

Maybe Heidelberg should give up a home date and play at a neutral site, you know, to get the games in and not disrupt the schedule further. Looks like Chillicothe should be playable. Carroll had to give one up and Heidelberg got out of a road trip, so it would only be fair.

Safe to say Thursday and Friday shape up to be Northern's most important couple of days of baseball in quite a few years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 16, 2014, 08:13:44 AM
55 and sunny is the forecast today for Marietta.  Betting that series gets played, today. 

Hard to believe it was near 70 and beautiful in northern Ohio last Saturday and then this.  Of course it was 75 here in the ohio tropics last saturday, and we didn't get any accumulation. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 16, 2014, 10:39:24 AM
Wow, I just can't *believe* that Heidelberg wasn't willing to give up a home date to get games in today. I mean home field advantage doesn't mean anything, it said on this site a few days ago.

Well, I guess we know all that was BS now.

Looks like Capital-Marietta is still a go down in the Mediterranean climate of the south coast. First settlement, best settlement. :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 16, 2014, 03:26:26 PM
Jason Byers throws a 1 hitter over 8 innings in a 5-0 shutout win over Capital in the first game.

Ryan Hanahan back from being hit in the face by a pitch with a 2 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs, and Chris Winpigler got a pinch-hit appearance to mark his return from injury as well.

Didn't catch the pregame to know what the Game 2 plan is. Might be a surprise to some that Byers pitched, but not if you know the program.

EDIT: Mike Finlan throws a complete game shutout in a 6-0 win in Game 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2014, 08:11:11 AM
Some interesting decisions to be made today in some key matchups...

1.  ONU vs. BW:  For ONU, they have a matchup with Marietta looming tomorrow and of course are tied with BW.  Given that pitching staffs from Saturday are fully rested, does ONU throw Eltzroth and Glischinski today and counter with Maier and Deitering on Friday against Marietta.  The most important game is the next one you play, and when you are in a dog fight for a playoff spot, you have to give yourself every opportunity to beat the team with whom you are currently tied.  BW hosts Mount Union on Friday and is looking at a similar situation.  Does that mean Waite and Albright today? 

2.  JCU @ Berg:  Berg has to play Wilmington on Friday so they really have no worries about who pitches.  Do they use Thomas and Huber?  Or Fluharty and Manner?  I guess it comes down to whom Coach Palm feels gives them the best chance to win against a good JCU squad.  JCU hosts Cap tomorrow so, really they are in the same situation.  Lapaglia and Maddern today and whomever #3 (Materise) and #4 (Turosky) are against Cap.  Should be a good matchup regardless.

3.  Mount and Muskingum.  For Mount this is a dangerous series, Muskingum is good enough to beat them (and I still think a loss ends Mount's post season aspirations).  But BW is a very good hitting team.  Coach Hesse has a real interesting call to make here with his pitching staff.  Throw Clarke and Carlino today and HOPE that the other guys can hold up against BW (A very tall order against a very good hitting team, IMO), or throw 3 and 4 against Muskingum who is not very strong offensively to give your guys the best chance with Clarke and Carlino tomorrow. 

The coaches with the toughest decisions, IMO are Hesse and the guy at Northern.

It will be interesting to see what shakes loose today.

Update:  Game 1.  ONU starts Eltzroth, BW Durbin, Mount Union goes with Ceriani. Berg goes with Fluharty, and JCU with Materise.  SO berg/JCU is 3 vs 3, ONU/BW is 2 vs. 3, and Mount goes with 3
 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 17, 2014, 01:31:28 PM
Well Etta, those were good thoughts on what *seemed* to make sense...

IMO Northern did it right. They're tied with BW in the standings, today is most important.

It's not that tough to imagine Palm thinking Fluharty has been his best starter, but I can't imagine what Thibeault's thinking going with Materise. I guess we'll see if it works out, but you sure would have thought they would go with Lapaglia.

For Mount, it doesn't really matter...they just need wins. 3 of 4 makes them 6-8. They'd have to sweep from there to have much if any shot, IMO. There have been years where 9-9 and 8-10 made it, but I don't think this will be one of them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2014, 04:01:38 PM
BW takes game 1 from Northern 5-4.  Game 2 starters: For NOrthern Glischinski, for BW: Alioto.
Berg takes game 1 from JCU 10-7.  Game 2 starters: For JCU: Doring, For Berg: Manner
Mount takes game 1 from Musk 8-7 (10), game 2 starter for Mount: Toma. 

So ONU approached this as I thought they would.  Berg and JCU did not.  So far for Berg it has worked out.  Mount played it like I thought they would as well...Saving Clarke and Carlino for BW. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 17, 2014, 04:42:08 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 17, 2014, 04:01:38 PM
BW takes game 1 from Northern 5-4.  Game 2 starters: For NOrthern Glischinski, for BW: Alioto.
Berg takes game 1 from JCU 10-7.  Game 2 starters: For JCU: Doring, For Berg: Manner
Mount takes game 1 from Musk 8-7 (10). 

So ONU approached this as I thought they would.  Berg and JCU did not.  So far for Berg it has worked out.  Mount played it like I thought they would as well...Saving Clarke and Carlino for BW.

BW is in an interesting position in that they really don't have an ace...1-4 (and probably beyond) are about the same. I think Alioto is probably better than his numbers suggest...he gave up a lot against scholarship teams. I guess we'll find out this afternoon.

Northern seems to be going hard after these two against the team with which they were tied in the standings. Makes sense. Don't ask me what some of the other teams are doing. John Carroll and Heidelberg seem to have made the same suboptimized choice, leading to a theoretically avoidable slugfest in the first game. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 17, 2014, 08:44:04 PM
Doring seems to be just about warmed up enough for his performance of the year against Marietta like last year. Just maybe doesn't quite have the endurance built up to go that deep yet after being injured.

John Carroll is all of a sudden in a bit of a precarious position with BW and ONU both just a game out. A pretty good team is going to be left out of the conference tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2014, 10:58:22 PM
Mount took care of business today with a sweep. They've given themselves a puncher's chance now.  With Carlino and Clarke tomorrow they at least have a chance.  In fact, I guess technically it's Carlino and Clarke from here on out. After sitting at 1-7 they're 18 innings from being right in the thick of the race.  Can't ask for more than that considering the start.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 18, 2014, 08:22:13 AM
JCU's strategy to "throw off" is baffling.  Biggest series of the year and you don't trot out 1 and 2 to throw against the top team in the conference.  It is easy to second guess a coach (and my career record is 0-0), but of all of the strategies yesterday, JCU's made the least sense. 

Hats off to 'Berg.  They swept a good opponent and now sit squarely in the drivers seat.  All they have to do is sweep Wilmington and avoid a costly loss to a pesky, but below average, otterbein team and a pretty good pitching ONU team. 

Here is how things are shaping up for today's matchups....

Game of the day:  6t. Mount (5-7,  5GB 1st, 2GB Playoffs) @ 4t BW (7-5, 3GB 1st)—Mount Union's strategy of saving their top two arms for today worked out well, and as Dr. A mentioned, they have put themselves right back into a scenario where they have a chance to reach 4th.  Of course, BW saved their top two guys also.  This has huge implications for both teams in the playoff race.  Mount Has to have a sweep here, IMO.  BW has games with Muskingum and Capital remaining, and they could easily sweep those two.  Mount has Wilmington and OTterbein which are winable series for the raiders.  BW getting swept puts them in a precarious position of needing help as they would essentially need Mount to lose again to make the field.  Mount Union fans will also be scoreboard watching to see if Marietta can sweep Northern, which is something they need to have happen.  So Dr. A, as much as it might hurt, you really need to be a Pioneer fan for a day to help your own cause.  ;D

Second best game of the day:  2 Marietta (9-3, 1GB) vs 4 ONU (7-5, 3 GB).  Marietta has to win out and hope for Berg to stub its toe and see how tie breakers sort out to have a chance to host the tourney.  ONU needs to win to keep pace.  The Polar Bears used their top two guys yesteday in their split with BW, but 3 and 4 have good numbers this year.  Marietta will go with their #2 Herstine, and somebody else (at this point I don't think #4 has been solidified, but if Nieberding has been that guy for most of the year). 

The other games...

9 CAP (2-10, 8 GB 1st, 5.0 GB Playoffs) @ 3 JCU (8-4, 3 GB):  Cap is all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff race, 5 games off the pace with 6 games to play. JCU is in a dangerous spot though.  A trip to Marietta looms next weekend followed by hosting Muskingum.  While the tiebreaker over BW is helpful, three losses could find themselves at a 4 seed or even out of the tourney depending on what else happens.  JCU needs to win these two very winable ball games, and has to win 3 of the next 6 to be playing in the tournament.

1 Berg (8-2) @ 9 WILM (2-10 GB 1st 5 GB Playoffs).  No analysis needed here.  A good hitting team with decent pitching spells big numbers for Berg.  Berg hosts Otterbein next week and finishes with a short trip to Ada.

6t Musk (5-7, 5 GB 1st, 2 GB Playoffs) @ 6t Ott (5-7)—Neither of these two are out of the playoff race.  But they need things to fall into place the right way.  Their chances are slim.  One of them needs a sweep, and then needs some help from Marietta and Mount Union today to create a 4 way tie four the fourth and final playoff spot (BW, MOUNT, ONU, and whomever sweeps this one)....Let's see Jupiter is in the house of Leo, and....Anyhow.  It matters but not just that much.

My picks for the top 4. 

Berg, Marietta, JCU and BW.  These are the four best teams in the league.  I think BW gets the 4th spot and JCU the third.  Berg's series with both OTT and ONU are dangerous and either could result in a split.  I don't think the top two spots are settled just yet. Berg is certainly in the drivers seat, though and to this point, has earned their way to the top spot.  Marietta has a tough series to day and with JCU next week, and if they slip up, they could easily be the 2 or the 3 seed. 

Of course I'm frequently wrong, so it won't suprise me if Mount makes this race a total mess later today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 18, 2014, 02:30:44 PM
Mount's defense is letting them down today so far.  5 errors in 4 innings including 3 consecutive sac bunt attempts resulting in no outs thanks to errors on every one of them.  Good news is they're hitting Albright decently well (8 hits in 5 IP).  Bad news is they trail 4-1 thanks to the poor D.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 18, 2014, 02:33:34 PM
Right as I type that Jakubik hits a 2-run HR.  4-3 BW in the 6th.  Carlino is pitching pretty well so hopefully he has another couple innings in the tank (not sure of pitch count).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 18, 2014, 03:05:25 PM
I don't know what this says about WC athletics, but when I clicked the link to their live stats and just saw 22-0 Wilm lost I didn't even double take or sense surprise really.  It was only a few minutes later that I started wondering how they already finished the game that I went back and saw that was the womens lax score against Mount earlier today, not the baseball score against Berg.  That one is only 10-0.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 18, 2014, 03:14:50 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 18, 2014, 08:22:13 AM
Game of the day:  6t. Mount (5-7,  5GB 1st, 2GB Playoffs) @ 4t BW (7-5, 3GB 1st)—Mount Union's strategy of saving their top two arms for today worked out well, and as Dr. A mentioned, they have put themselves right back into a scenario where they have a chance to reach 4th.  Of course, BW saved their top two guys also.  This has huge implications for both teams in the playoff race.  Mount Has to have a sweep here, IMO.  BW has games with Muskingum and Capital remaining, and they could easily sweep those two.  Mount has Wilmington and OTterbein which are winable series for the raiders.  BW getting swept puts them in a precarious position of needing help as they would essentially need Mount to lose again to make the field.  Mount Union fans will also be scoreboard watching to see if Marietta can sweep Northern, which is something they need to have happen.  So Dr. A, as much as it might hurt, you really need to be a Pioneer fan for a day to help your own cause.  ;D

Ha!  It doesn't pain me at all!  I want Mount to do well.  I don't really root against anyone else individually outside of one aforementioned school for non-baseball reasons.  So if Etta winning helps the Raiders then I'm a fan.  For today.  Haha.  I like Brewer.  I liked him enough that when I was picking a college and he was at JCU I let financial aid decide between my top two (Mount, JCU) because I liked both schools that much. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 18, 2014, 03:48:02 PM
Unfortunately for Mount, BW takes game one....I think that will probably end Mount's playoff chances for this year. 

Marietta takes game 1 from ONU. Herstine, another gem.  1 hit, 0R in 7 IP.  Marietta had a streak of 27.2 consecutive scoreless innings broken up by an unearned run in the 9th inning on an error, a single, A WP and a Sac Fly. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 18, 2014, 09:44:22 PM
Mount Union eschews the use of the placekicker and wins 16-14 in the second game.

Anyone there? Anyone that can explain Gillisee's caught stealing in the 9th?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 19, 2014, 08:51:19 AM
After yesterday, I think we are looking at the top 4 teams being the OAC tournament field. Hope everyone has a nice Easter weekend as the only OAC team in action today is beaten down Wilmington. As the OAC team least able to handle it, they play their 3rd DH in 3 days today vs UC-Clermont. Hope they get a W to head into the holiday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 19, 2014, 01:10:46 PM
Likely. BW has tiebreak over most everyone via their win over Marietta. Ohio Northern still has its chance to trump, but it would take 2 wins over Heidelberg.

Hard to see BW finishing below a tie for 4th.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 20, 2014, 09:18:23 AM
Berg and Marietta both clinched spots in the tournament with the sweeps on Friday. Berg is 5 games up on 5th place ONU with 4 to play and Marietta is 4 up but owns the tiebreaker with their sweep of ONU on Friday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 21, 2014, 09:03:18 AM
I think Motorman is correct when he says we likely have our 4 playoff spots filled with 'Berg, Marietta, JCU, and BW.  ONU has a small chance.  The rest are likely out of the race. 

Here is a look.

1.  Berg, 1 game lead on Marietta.  Games remaining: Otterbein and @ONU.  Basically Berg is playing to host.  They control their own destiny, and win one more game than Marietta in the next four and the OAC tournament will be in Tiffin.  A split is possible in either of these series. 

2.  Marietta, 1 game back.  Games remaining:  JCU and @ @Wilmington.  This is a huge saturday for Marietta as they host the streaks.  I like the Pios chances in any games with Byers and Herstine getting the start, which should be what happens on Saturday.  They have to win 4 and hope for a berg split somewhere along the way.

3.  JCU, 2 games behind Berg.  Games remaining: @Mar and Muskingum.  JCU is the one team which could be in trouble if they play poorly down the stretch.  Lose 3 of 4 and they could find themselves in a very precarious spot (11-7), where Northern could catch them, More on that later.  Win 2 of 4 and they are in.

4.  BW, 4 games behind Berg.  Games remaining:  @Mukingum and Capital.  Win 4 and they are in.  The only real danger for them is Muskingum, IMO.  3-1 puts them at 11-7 and makes things interesting, but would likely drop the secondary tie breaker because ONU was swept by Marietta (more on that in a minute too).

5.  ONU, 5 games behind Berg, 1 game out of the tournament.  Games remaining:  @Cap and Berg.  To have a realistic chance at #4, they have to go 4-0.  Cap is sweepable, Berg is a very tall order.

So some scenarios. 

Marietta and Berg.  Split the regular season. 
Scenario 1.  MAR goes 4-0, Berg 3-1.  Marietta would win the tiebreaker as a result of the Pioneers sweep of either ONU or Otterbein, as long as whomever defeats Heidelberg finishes ahead of Muskingum.  MAR and Berg would both be 2-0 against JCU, 1-1 against BW.  Marietta is 2-0 against Otterbein and ONU.  If it comes down to Muskingum, Berg wins the tiebreaker by virtue of being 2-0 over the fish and Marietta is 1-1. 
Scenario 2.  MAR goes 3-1 and Berg goes 2-2.  Assuming Marietta's loss would be to JCU, JCU is likely to finish higher than both Otterbein and ONU, so Berg would win the tiebreaker.

JCU.  They can miss the tournament this way:
JCU goes 1-3 in their next 4 (Swept by Marietta and split with Muskingum) and finishes 11-7, this is not out of the question.  Let's just say ONU wins out (not likely, but let's just say) to finish 11-7.  JCU and ONU split.  SO we go top down, in this instance, Marietta would likely finish 1st, and both are 0-2 vs. Marietta.  'Berg would likely finish 2nd.  ONU would be 2-0 against Berg, JCU is 0-2.  ONU would hold the tie breaker over JCU.   

BW misses out if ONU wins out and BW loses twice. 

ONU makes the field if they go 4-0 and get some help along the way. 

The next two weeks are going to be fairly interesting.   

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 21, 2014, 09:56:33 AM
According to their website Marietta's midweek game with Frostburg State is now a double header instead of a single game.  Marietta still needs two make up games to get all of their games in the regular season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 23, 2014, 01:51:04 PM
Kudos to ONU for showing Valpo that just because they got scholarships doesn't they are better than players at D3 schools.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on April 23, 2014, 06:28:16 PM
When I was an SID at Catholic and shortly thereafter, they beat Mount St. Mary's (the D-I school in Maryland) and Georgetown. It isn't hard for an average D-III to beat a low D-I program. Just takes the right pitcher.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 24, 2014, 07:18:07 AM
I know Pat, but it is nice to see it be acknowledged when it happens.

Yesterday at Case, Berg had its Achilles heel flare up. D must get better to get through regional. Can't hit your way out of errors against quality opponents. What should have been a 1-0 win became a 2-1 loss due to 2 unearned runs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 24, 2014, 04:20:25 PM
This weekends games....

Top matchup:  JCU @ Marietta.  Marietta has to win two to keep pace.  JCU should be in the tournament even if they get swept.  Marietta's pitching rotation is back on schedule, and should throw 1 and 2 on Saturday. 

Key Matchup 1: Ott @ Berg.  Berg needs to avoid a loss in their last 4 to ensure the hosting of the tournament.  Ott is likely out of the race at this point.  It could still be a little tricky.

Key Matchup 2: BW @ Muskingum.  Muskingum is probably out, BW needs to stay ahead of ONU.  Cap looms largely for the jackets next week  ::)

Key Matchup 3:  ONU @ Cap.  ONU pretty much needs to win 4 games in the league if they are going to make the field.  The next two are unlikely for them (vs Berg).  But when you have one of the doormats in front of you, you need to take care of business.

The other matchup.  Wilmington @ Mount.  I guess if you want a pair of wins on Senior day, you know who to call.  I'm sure there is some odd way this could impact tournament race, but I don't know if I have the time or desire to try and figure it out. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 24, 2014, 08:14:50 PM
Mount heads into their DH with Wilmington with a team BA of .355.  This is significant because I believe the school record that was set in 99 (?) was .356.  With the Quakers up next this record could be in jeopardy.  Never thought I'd see that with the bats they use these days.  Obviously back in the glory days of what the NCAA deemed to be dangerous bats that .356 was littered with gap shots, home runs and probably a couple near death experiences for pitchers/corner infielders.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 26, 2014, 04:26:44 PM
Things just got interesting with Otterbein's win at Berg in the opener.   Etta beats JCU in their opener to pull even.

Mount drums Wilm 17-1 in game 1.  20 hits in 41 AB should boost that team average.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 26, 2014, 04:26:56 PM
OAC standings as of 4:25 eastern time (assuming Mount is done battering Wilmington)

Team                  OAC  OAC DHs remaining
Marietta   12-3      vs. JCU, at WILM
Heidelberg         12-3      vs. OTT, at ONU
John Carroll   10-5      at MAR, vs. MUSK
BaldwinWallace   9-6      at MUSK, vs. CAP
Ohio Northern   8-7      at CAP, vs. HEID
Mount Union     7-8      vs. WILM, at OTT
Otterbein         7-8      at HEID, vs. MTU
Muskingum         6-9      vs. BW, at JCU
Capital           2-13      vs. ONU, at BW
Wilmington       2-13      at MTU, vs. MAR

Marietta not playing like they want to stay on top very long in Game 2 though. Down 2-0 and just went K, pop up, pop up with a runner on third and 0 outs.

EDIT to add: I suppose Otterbein should be ahead of Mount Union with the win over Heidelberg, the same reason Marietta is listed above Heidelberg (MC swept Otterbein; MC's extra loss was to Muskingum).

B-W left it late to beat Muskingum. If they had lost, that would have really made it interesting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 26, 2014, 08:59:49 PM
What a mess!

Tie for first, tie for fourth and believe it or not the tie between muskingum and otterbein is very critical.

In simple terms, of Marietta and berg remain tied, the musky cardinal position in the standings could be the tiebreaker!

Going to be a fun weekend next week. I'll look at the tie break scenarios on Monday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 26, 2014, 11:39:29 PM
OAC standings (a bit different way)
Team                  OAC  OAC DHs remaining
Marietta   13-3      at WILM
Heidelberg         13-3      at ONU
John Carroll   10-6      vs. MUSK
BaldwinWallace   9-7      vs. CAP
Ohio Northern   9-7      vs. HEID
Mount Union     8-8      at OTT
Otterbein         7-9      vs. MTU
Muskingum         7-9      at JCU
Capital           2-14      at BW
Wilmington       2-14      vs. MAR

My question is how does the OTT-MUSK tie get resolved if it comes down to it. One beat Berg, the other beat Marietta, but they're tied and to break the tie, the OTT-MUSK tie has to be broken and oh I've gone crosseyed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 27, 2014, 06:35:05 AM
Saw that myself Spence, it's an infinite loop.

Hopefully, between Musky and Ott, they aren't tied after Sat. and we don't have to find out how they resolve this.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 27, 2014, 03:04:34 PM
My guess would be they skip the 1st place tie and it goes to record against 3rd and so on to break the Muskingum/Otterbein tie, and then back up to break the first place tie. Seems like the only way it could be done.

Hopefully ONU just takes a game and makes it academic.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 27, 2014, 07:14:20 PM
Hopefully Berg wins 2 and Otterbein gets swept while Musky wins 1 and that makes it academic. Berg wins tiebreaker then. Don't really care where the tournament gets played, both teams are declared co-champions in case of a tie and that seems fitting. Tiebreaker only determines who hosts the tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 27, 2014, 08:49:19 PM
Interesting. I definitely care where the tournament is played. I always want the best site for the fans, players, staff and league officials. And we all know where that is.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 27, 2014, 08:52:53 PM
You aren't going to be there so what do you care? Like I said, home field advantage in baseball is overblown. Only real advantage is in getting to bat last. Why don't we just play every game at Marietta so I can have home "fans" invading my space and not paying attention to the game. I just was thrilled the last time I was there to hear a bunch of 60 year olds talking about their golf and tennis games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 27, 2014, 09:08:23 PM
I already told you why I care. It's the best for everyone involved. Best facility, best amenities, best location, usually best weather, best event staff. No, I'm not going to be there, I wish I was.

I'm impressed by any 60 year old that has a tennis game to talk about. I'll be happy to be able to play a game of tennis worth talking about at that age. But part of the charm of baseball as entertainment is that you can go and relax and socialize and watch a game. It doesn't really require 100% attention to know what's going on, which is great for the way young and old alike live their lives today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 28, 2014, 01:09:55 AM
Going into the last series...some league play only stats for the most likely contenders for top 4 spots.

                     Runs   RA     +/-     per game
Marietta         118     52     66     7.4-3.25
Heidelberg     149     89     60      9.3-5.6   
John Carroll     90     61      29     5.6-3.8
BW                 134     88     46     8.3-5.5
ONU                 84     61      23     5.25-3.8
Mount Union  135     119    16     8.4-7.4 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 28, 2014, 09:20:06 AM
OK.... So there are some critical tie break scenarios heading into this weekend.  One to determine who hosts, the next to determine who makes the field.  And then one down the list which will impact the top spot.  Here they are near as I can tell.

The race for first:

Marietta plays wilmington, and two wins are quite likely, Berg plays at Ohio Northern, so this is a little more difficult situation.  At worst, either will finish as the second seed.

First and easiest thing to sort out—Because both teams are tied, if one wins more games than the other...then they will be outright champs and host the tournament. 

If they finish Saturday tied for first—
Scenario 1.  Both teams go 2-0 on Saturday.  Then it comes down to who finishes higher between Otterbein and Muskingum.  MAR and Berg are 1-1 against each other, 2-0 against JCU, 1-1 against BW, 2-0 against ONU, 2-0 against Mount Union.  Marietta is 1-1 vs Muskingum, and Berg is 1-1 against Otterbein. 
Scenario 2. Both teams go 1-1 on Saturday.  Marietta would win the tie breaker due to their 2-0 record against ONU who would finish higher than either Otterbein or Muskigum. 
Scenario 3.  Both teams go 0-2 on Saturday.  WHile Marietta should be disqualified for losing to Wilmington, they would still win the tiebreaker because of their record against ONU.


The race for fourth: 
Scenario 1.  Three way tie for fourth between Northern, BW, and Mount Union— at 10-8.  All three teams split with each other.  BW, however will win the tiebreaker due to their split with Marietta where ONU and Mount dropped two games to the Pioneers.  (Marietta would be in first in this scenario as it requires an Ohio Northern win over Heidelberg).

Scenario 2.  BW and Ohio Northern end the season tied—BW and ONU split their season series.  BW has the tiebreaker advantage over Northern because of their split with Marietta and Berg (if both BW and Berg go 0-2 on Saturday). 

Scenario 3.  ONU and Mount Union end the season tied at 10-8— and BW falls to 9-9.  ONU wins the tiebreaker by virtue of their split with JCU, as the streaks swept the Raiders.

Scenario 4.  Mount and BW end the season tied at 10-8  BW wins the tiebreaker because they split with both Marietta and Heidelberg.  Mount was swept. 

So to translate, this is what needs to happen for each.

BW:  Win at least one, and win at least as many as ONU.  They play capital, who is not very good.
ONU:  Win at least one, and hope BW loses one more than they do.  ONU plays Berg.  A split isn't out of the question—although it will be a difficult task, but a sweep would be unlikely IMO.
Mount Union—Must beat Otterbein twice, and HOPE both BW and Northern lose twice.  Capital sweeping BW is very unlikely IMO. 

As was mentioned earlier, the race to host comes down to the position of both Muskingum and Otterbein. 

Otterbein hosts Mount Union, and Muskingum plays at John Carroll.  If Marietta and Heidelberg remain tied after next weekend, here are the scenarios to sort this out. 

Scenario 1, both teams go 2-0.  Muskingum wins the tiebreaker due to their sweep of JCU, Otterbein was 1-1.
Scenario 2, Both teams go 1-1. Muskingum has the advantage because of their split with BW (both split with ONU, so it won't matter).
Scenario 3.  Both teams go 0-2.  Otterbein then has the advantage becaue they split with JCU and Muskingum wil have been swept. 

So if you are a Marietta fan, you are hoping for the following:  1.Sweep Wilimington.  2. A Heidelberg loss to ONU.  3.  If 2 doesn't happen, a JCU sweep of Muskingum, or Otterbein winning one more game against Mount Union than Muskingum wins against JCU. 

If you are a Heidelberg fan, you are hoping for the following:  1.  Sweep Northern.  2.  A Marietta loss to Wilmington.  3.  IF two doesn't happen, Muskingum to go 2-0 or at worst 1-1 against JCU. 

Fun stuff!

So now you know who you should be rooting for (in addition to your own team!)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 28, 2014, 10:24:09 AM
So it seems like the odds would significantly favor Marietta, though this is all speculation. This is one case where Massey's info might actually have some use if it's up to date, because his site has predictive values for future games and since all the games are teams from the same region and conference, any biases related to handling differing regional schedules affect everyone roughly the same (though BW did play a good number of non D-III games).

The odds of Marietta dropping even 1 game to Wilmington are probably 5% or less.

I would guess a probability of Heidelberg beat ONU in a given game in Ada is probably on the order of 65-70%. Northern isn't a bad team at all and they're at home with good pitching. Halve that for a sweep to get 32-35% chance of ONU dropping 2. I think I'm being generous there compared to what Masseyratings or some such might come up with. So better than 50-50 chance that there's not even tie for first to be broken...

And with regard to the tiebreak, Muskingum winning at JCU is a taller order than Otterbein beating Mount Union at home. Ott-MTU is probably close to a 50-50 proposition; JCU has been very good at home and is probably closer to 70-75% per game, with the second game being higher than the first.

So chance of a sweep in OTT-MTU would be 25% either way, JCU has 35-40% chance of getting a sweep against Muskingum. Not really inclined to make a matrix of each possible outcome and its probability (it's not straightforward because both teams sweeping yields a different outcome than matching 0-2 and 1-1 results), but the point should be evident. Rough guess, probably about 65ish% chance that Marietta hosts the tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 28, 2014, 11:17:41 AM
Matchup wise, JCU would have to be a fairly strong favorite against Muskingum.  Musky simply doesn't hit very well, and JCU has a strong pitching staff.  JCU is capable a the plate, but Musky's pitching is not the highest quality in OAC play.  To top that off, a team like JCU has to be thinking about Post season beyond the OAC tourney.  A pool C bid is possible, but after last week's showing, they can ill afford to lose to Muskingum and keep those hopes alive. 

I think Berg and Northern is a very interesting matchup, but I still think ONU is a significant underdog.  ONU's top two arms are solid.  Berg can swing it, a lot.  Berg's pitching is also good, and Northern isn't a particularly good hitting team.   I'd say even a split is a tall order for the Polar Bears.  There is one interesting thing about this matchup.  'Berg's team ERA in conference play is a very respectable 3.65.  However, they allow 5.60 total runs per nine innings pitched.  Defense has been a an issue for 'Berg all year including conference play.  Can they keep the mistakes to a minimum, and more importantly, can they limit the damage when they do make mistakes?  This is why I think Northern has a puncher's chance for a split in this series.  Otherwise the matchups favor Heidelberg.     


Mount and Ott is a strange matchup.  I have trouble looking at this and picking a sweep either way.  Mount does have something on the line, though they need a lot of help to make it happen. 

BW should handle Cap easily. 

Wilmington is just bad.  Marietta wins two easily. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 28, 2014, 01:07:12 PM
Massey has Heidelberg at 68% against ONU. I said 65-70. :)

Marietta at 98% vs. Wilmington (with the John Carroll results not included in the ranking for some reason).

JCU is 82% against Muskingum, so 2x = 67%. Quite a bit better than I thought, but again, the Marietta games are not in the ratings.

Mount Union is 62% against Otterbein. So 38% chance of a Mount Union sweep? I dunno if I see it being that good...

But the difference between the JCU/Mount percentage is about the same as I had...even though the raw numbers were higher in both cases.

----------
On to strategic matters...
Who does Heidelberg pitch now after the Game 1 debacle against Ott? Hendrixson is obviously their best pitcher but Palm seems to prefer that Andy Lowe role for him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 28, 2014, 01:31:43 PM
Now that Massey shows something that supports your skewed view of the world they are ok when before all we heard was how flawed it was.

I refuse to fall to your bait about Berg pitchers but if you could read a box score you might realize that relief pitchers stats are very deceptive. Two years ago Berg had a reliever go 7-0 because he was 1 for 7 in save opportunities and got the win in all 6 of his blown saves.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 28, 2014, 02:08:44 PM
I figured you'd say something like that. I never said I liked it. But I don't see another site offering up probabilities, and as I said earlier, the regional differences are a non-factor since we're talking about one region.

Massey has 9 of the top 10 in SOS from the same conference...come on, do you really believe that? And like 21 of the top 24 from the West region...suspect at best. There are some pretty big issues with it of that sort.

I'm not baiting anyone or anything. Hendrixson is the best pitcher. I've said that for a month and a half and haven't even been close to being proved wrong yet. I wish he had chosen Marietta like Centerville grad and national champion Casey Levens did. But we all make mistakes. :) Hopefully Marietta can hit him when they need to.

I feel like it's quite legitimate to wonder what will happen with a starter that gave up 10 runs in 1 2/3 IP in his last start and has two of Heide's 3 conference losses.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 29, 2014, 07:44:58 AM
I just got it from a reliable source that if Otterbein and Muskingum are still tied and there is a first place tie, the next tiebreaker is run differential, in which Marietta has a slight advantage right now. There is a maximum of +/- 7 runs per game allowed as differential. And since Marietta is almost assured of going +14 in the 2 games Sat, they would win the tiebreaker and host the OAC tournament. Heidelberg and Marietta would be co-champions of the league. Thus, the only way Berg will host the tournament is if Musky finishes ahead of Ott, so I will be rooting for my alma mater. Might even wear a Raider T shirt under the orange this week, Dr. A.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 29, 2014, 08:12:22 AM
INteresting, motorman.  I was not aware of that, but at this point the "screwy" tiebreak scenarios are just that, screwy.   At the beginning of the season I would have never expected a tie-breaker for the top seed in the tournament to come down to a tiebreaker in the #7 spot in the standings.  It has been a strange, and good year, in the OAC. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2014, 08:37:04 AM
Hrm that's weird...not sure why they wouldn't just break the tie the same way they would attempt to break the first place tie, but no one asked me.

I guess runs for/runs against chart I did ends up mattering after all!

So the only other way Marietta could be caught is if they outscore Wilmington by less than 9 runs total in the DH (and win both, obviously)?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 29, 2014, 11:14:47 AM
Frm the OAC handbook...

5.  When a tie cannot be settled by the use of the aforementioned procedures, the OAC
office will determine the seeding order by computing the runs scored differential
average of the teams involved in the tie in games against all conference opponents. The maximum differential of runs scored and allowed in any game shall be seven
runs. The team(s) with the highest average will receive the higher seed.

So we have this by the numbers....

Berg Differential
BW +2, -2
Musk +4,+5
Mount +6,+5
Cap +5,+7
Mtta -3,+2
JCU +3,+4
Wilm +7,+7
Ott -6,+1
ONU ? ? 
average:  2.9375

Marietta Average Differential
Ott: +4, +4
BW: +3,-1
Musk: -1,+7
MTU: +7,+5
Berg: +3,-2
Cap: +5,+6
ONU: +7,+3
JCU: +2,+2
Wilm: ? ?
Average:  3.375

By my math (unless I'm doing it incorrectly)  For Berg to "win" this tiebreak scenario, Their combined margin of victory in two games against ONU would have to be a combined 8 runs greater than Marietta's combined victories over Wilmington.  In other words, If Berg defeats ONU twice by a combined 9 points, and Marietta wins both games against Wilmington, Marietta's combined margin of victory needs to be 2 just to remain tied.  This would give each an equivalent average run differential. 

If Heiedelberg wishes to host (assuming Musky and Ott are deadlocked), they need to win both games and do so by a combined margin of at least10 runs (because hoping Marietta only sends their JV team to play Wilmington isn't much of a hope).
Then they have to hope Marietta only wins a pair of 1 run games.  If Marietta's combined MOV over Wilmington is greater than 8, they will secure this fifth tie breaker. 

If that happens it comes down to a vote of the coaches.

6. If item 2 does not resolve the tie, a vote of the other coaches not involved in the tie, shall be taken to decide the "better" team(s).


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2014, 11:39:42 AM
Good lord that is crazy.

I guess it has to be average in case a team doesn't get all their games played. But other than that what I said above seems to hold (since everyone will get their games in).

I could have just missed it, but I don't remember this ever having to be used for a tiebreak. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Is this used even if a tie between Muskingum and Otterbein can be broken with record against 3rd place, etc.? Or is there any attempt to break such a tie?

Having it come to a vote would be just crazy. You talk about battle stations.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 29, 2014, 12:18:29 PM
It could be worse. It could be a coin flip. Gheny in the NCAC missed the tourney two years in a row on a coin flip.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2014, 12:54:17 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on April 29, 2014, 12:18:29 PM
It could be worse. It could be a coin flip. Gheny in the NCAC missed the tourney two years in a row on a coin flip.

You're right, that is worse than a vote.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 29, 2014, 01:00:47 PM
Quote from: Spence on April 28, 2014, 02:08:44 PM
I figured you'd say something like that. I never said I liked it. But I don't see another site offering up probabilities, and as I said earlier, the regional differences are a non-factor since we're talking about one region.

Massey has 9 of the top 10 in SOS from the same conference...come on, do you really believe that? And like 21 of the top 24 from the West region...suspect at best. There are some pretty big issues with it of that sort.

I'm not baiting anyone or anything. Hendrixson is the best pitcher. I've said that for a month and a half and haven't even been close to being proved wrong yet. I wish he had chosen Marietta like Centerville grad and national champion Casey Levens did. But we all make mistakes. :) Hopefully Marietta can hit him when they need to.

I feel like it's quite legitimate to wonder what will happen with a starter that gave up 10 runs in 1 2/3 IP in his last start and has two of Heide's 3 conference losses.
You know Spence maybe you should wonder about how Marietta is going to win any tournament with only 2 pitchers instead of worrying about who Berg's best pitcher is. What is Brewer going to do, start Herstine and use Byers in relief and then start Byers the next day and use Herstine in relief? From what I saw in person, any Marietta reliever can blow a game open, even those who tied NCAA records.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2014, 04:28:15 PM
There's a lot I could say here, but I'm going to try to be nice.

All I'm saying is "I'll take my chances" with those two guys and then see what happens from there. I'd much rather have two very formidable aces than to not have them.

I'm not even thinking about that yet though. Still 4 games to go before any of that matters.

--

I'm not worrying at all about who Heidelberg's best pitcher is. I already know, so do most of us. So does Palm. I'm just not sure who their second best, and I think going into a series against a team with very solid pitching it'll be interesting to see what if any changes Palm makes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2014, 07:37:58 PM
I see Thomas got one of those less than 5 inning starting pitcher wins motorman whined about earlier in the year.

Wonder if he still has a problem with it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 29, 2014, 09:02:27 PM
All I said was that I had never heard of it before. I too have scored close to 100 games, some before you were born. In all my baseball experience a starter had to pitch more than half the game to qualify for the win. Therefore it looked like Marietta padding their #1 starter's stats. If it was a rule I didn't know it is one of a very few.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 29, 2014, 11:18:49 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 29, 2014, 09:02:27 PM
All I said was that I had never heard of it before. I too have scored close to 100 games, some before you were born.

So did you have your kid at like 40 then?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 30, 2014, 10:11:45 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 29, 2014, 11:18:49 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 29, 2014, 09:02:27 PM
All I said was that I had never heard of it before. I too have scored close to 100 games, some before you were born.

So did you have your kid at like 40 then?
See you are way too interested in my personal life.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 30, 2014, 11:08:43 AM
Oh FFS. If I was really that interested, I wouldn't have asked, I would just find out myself.

See, it may come as a surprise, but I know the year in which I was born, and so for you to have been accurately officially scoring baseball games before that and have a kid that is a senior in college right now...well it would put you pretty far out there on the curve as far as age when said kid was born relative to the norm, particularly at that time. Has nothing to do with giving a crap about your life and everything to do with thinking you're full of crap.

Even at all of that, nothing says you actually know how to do it. Nothing more common than amateur scorekeepers that just "kind of" know how to score, well enough for their own purposes.

Bottom line is you were wrong, you made a big stink about how Marietta was cheating and giving their pitchers cheap wins, and then your kid got one when he desperately needed a confidence builder. Normally I wouldn't have noticed or cared, but I just thought it was funny.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 30, 2014, 04:48:23 PM
You want my whole bio Spence? So you are a grad student in Minnesota so that makes you what 25 tops? I started in college at Mount at 17 and majored in math and accounting so I know the difference between 19 and "like 75". I also took enough English classes to know the difference between hyperbole and the truth. You can't make an exaggerated statement and then in practically the next sentence say everything you posted is the truth. Guess they don't teach that at Marietta. So I could be as young as 42 and have scored games before you were born. And regarding the starter getting win with less than 5 innings rule you admitted that you didn't know the rule so don't get so all high and mighty on me about that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on April 30, 2014, 11:58:22 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 30, 2014, 04:48:23 PM
So you are a grad student in Minnesota so that makes you what 25 tops?

???  :o  ::)  :P

And we stop here because you already lost.

Boy, don't I wish.  :'(  I'm guessing less than 1/4 of our program is younger than 25.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 01, 2014, 10:32:58 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 30, 2014, 11:58:22 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 30, 2014, 04:48:23 PM
So you are a grad student in Minnesota so that makes you what 25 tops?

???  :o  ::)  :P

And we stop here because you already lost.

Boy, don't I wish.  :'(  I'm guessing less than 1/4 of our program is younger than 25.

Sorry I didn't take into account the 6 years it took you to graduate from Marietta.


Just what is it about scorekeeping at mighty Etta that makes you a pro and everybody else an amateur? Must be that lucrative pro scorekeeper career dried up forcing you to go back to school.


Too bad you had to take potshots at Berg and Coach Palm on the national regional rankings thread but didn't have the stones to say who you were talking about. You knew you would be laughed out of there if you made that claim in addition to your factual error about that school never going to Appleton.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 01, 2014, 10:48:33 AM
Quote from: motorman on May 01, 2014, 10:32:58 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 30, 2014, 11:58:22 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 30, 2014, 04:48:23 PM
So you are a grad student in Minnesota so that makes you what 25 tops?

???  :o  ::)  :P

And we stop here because you already lost.

Boy, don't I wish.  :'(  I'm guessing less than 1/4 of our program is younger than 25.

Sorry I didn't take into account the 6 years it took you to graduate from Marietta.

Just what is it about scorekeeping at mighty Etta that makes you a pro and everybody else an amateur? Must be that lucrative pro scorekeeper career dried up forcing you to go back to school.

Too bad you had to take potshots at Berg and Coach Palm on the national regional rankings thread but didn't have the stones to say who you were talking about. You knew you would be laughed out of there if you made that claim in addition to your factual error about that school never going to Appleton.

Pretty much all of this is inaccurate and most of it uncalled for.

You're right, the facts don't fit your hypothesis. So why the hell is it your hypothesis? Is there not another possibility? Do you think maybe there are other programs that are highly ranked and/or have been in the past that have NEVER made it to Appleton? Maybe even *gasp* outside the Mideast region?

Heck I'm surprised YOU know that Heidelberg has been to Appleton since you don't seem to find any value in anything that happened before your kid started playing D-III. Hint, there really aren't any programs that are typically highly-ranked in the Mideast that haven't been to Appleton. Manchester, Adrian, Wooster, Heidelberg, Marietta...all have gone. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 01, 2014, 11:40:08 AM
Back to baseball discussions for a while.

matchups for the weekend.

"Game of the week"  Heidelberg at Ohio Northern:  Lots on the line for both teams.  Northern's slim playoff chances are at stake, and they are in a must win situation to make that happen.  A sweep greatly helps their situation, a split and they need help.  Get swept and their season ends on Saturday.  For Heidelberg, there is plenty at stake.  Being regular season champions, hosting the OAC tourney, regional playoff seed.  Two wins will put them in a spot where tiebreakers are on overload.  A split and they will most likely make the trip to Marietta next weekend.  IMO the only way this isn't a sweep by Heidelberg is if they make a bunch of errors and give up a lot of unearned runs.  They have been bitten by that bug before on a number of occaisions.  Northern's pitching can potentially keep them close.  I don't think the bears can hit well enough to get over the hump without some extra outs.  If the wind is blowing out at any clip, this is dangerous for Northern.

Best of the rest:  Mount Union at Otterbein.  Mount has all but been eliminated from the playoffs, but there is a very SLIM chance it could happen.  So they have something to play for other than pride.  I'm sure this is not how they envisioned their season going, but you just never know.  Otterbein is kind of a Jekyl and Hyde type team.  They play Heidelberg tough, splitting and having  the tying run on third in the loss, and split with the Quakers.  Will the Cardinals show up?  This is too close to predict a sweep either way. 

Interesting, but not exciting:  Muskingum at JCU:  it has been covered previously how this has a factor in the race for the top spot in the tournament.  JCU has clinched the third seed.  Pool C birth is a consideration in the streaks plans.  Muskingum is playing for pride.  JCU has solid pitching and Muskigum's hitting is not particularly impressive.  I would be very surprised if JCU doesn't come through with the sweep.

Ho Hum....Cap at BW:  Cap is bad.  BW swings it well.  Cap is in trouble.  BW likely wraps up the fourth spot with a sweep over the lowly crusaders.  One win is enough if ONU splits with Berg. 

Ho Hum Part 2: Marietta @ Wilmington.  The key element here is margin of victory.  Marietta needs to win by at least a combined total of 8 runs or more to break the tie if Muskingum and Otterbein remain tied.  I don't see this being a problem.

At the end of the weekend this is what I see...(in seed order)

1 Marietta 15-3
1 Heidelberg 15-3
3.  JCU 12-6
4. BW 11-7

Marietta wins the tiebreaker becuase Otterbein finishes higher in the standings than Muskingum.  This is going to be a VERY tough OAC tournament.  Maybe the most competitive in years!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 03, 2014, 03:32:13 PM
Marietta wins its first game in Wilmington, 10-0. Credit Wilmington, who kept it close for most of the game. 6 MC markers in the 9th blew it open.

Brewer taking no chances. He went with Herstine and Byers is expected to start the second game. Not a surprise.

Ohio Northern is batting in the 10th, tied 3-3 with Heidelberg. Derek Hendrixson has been brilliant in relief to keep Heidelberg in it. Eltzroth went 9 innings for ONU, giving way to #2 starter Ben Glischinski as Stechschulte knows they need two wins to have any chance at postseason play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2014, 03:33:35 PM
Mount takes game 1 by a score of 8-7.  Collier and Carlino both gave up some runs today.  BW eliminated them yesterday with their sweep of Cap, but it's the last games for a good senior class so I'm hopeful for a sweep anyway.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2014, 03:36:18 PM
Quote from: Spence on May 03, 2014, 03:32:13 PM
Marietta wins its first game in Wilmington, 10-0. Credit Wilmington, who kept it close for most of the game. 6 MC markers in the 9th blew it open.

Brewer taking no chances. He went with Herstine and Byers is expected to start the second game. Not a surprise.

Ohio Northern is batting in the 10th, tied 3-3 with Heidelberg. Derek Hendrixson has been brilliant in relief to keep Heidelberg in it. Eltzroth went 9 innings for ONU, giving way to #2 starter Ben Glischinski as Stechschulte knows they need two wins to have any chance at postseason play.

I looked at the live stats a while ago and you've got to tip your cap to Eltzroth too.  Last I saw Berg only had 3 base hits and that was in like the 6th or 7th inning I think.  They had scored a run on a balk and another on a steal of home (I'm assuming the 1st and 3rd variety) so they definitely weren't hitting him around at all.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 03, 2014, 03:40:15 PM
Yeah if you're ONU you might think you should have already won this. Their defense hasn't been very good in the season though.

Hendrixson has gotten double plays in the 6th, 9th and 10th. I was thinking I would have bunted just to make sure you get to LaMarca, who hasn't been retired yet in the game. The one in the 9th (and 10th for that matter) was with 2 strikes, so I suppose they could have tried to bunt and just not been successful. Hendrixson's probably the only pitcher in the league that I really wish had chosen Marietta...and what's more is a HS teammate of his did! (Annett). Oh well, we all made mistakes at that age. ;)

Have a feeling this ends in the 11th one way or another.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 03, 2014, 03:49:59 PM
Berg loaded the bases on BB, BB, FC (no out), then Belliveau gunned down Harkness at the plate for a 9-2 double play, then Glischinski got a strikeout to end the inning.

3-4-5 up for Northern, which has 5 of their 6 hits. Lamarca the 3 hole has not yet been retired in the game.

I believe Marietta can clinch the 1 seed if ONU gets the upset here, because then the tiebreak would stop at ONU and not even get to the Otterbein/Muskingum mess.

I wonder if Brewer knows about what is happening right now up there. There weren't many in-game updates from the radio crew. Byers keyed into the live stats as the Game 2 starter for Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 03, 2014, 03:55:13 PM
Ohio Northern has defeated Heidelberg, 4-3 in 11.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2014, 05:35:43 PM
Definitely differing philosophies so far today.  Mount is playing to win hands down.  Other than starting Stotler at catcher in game 2 (and he's started a number of games this year) they haven't strayed from their normal lineup at all today.  Other than Carlino we haven't seen another senior pitcher yet.  Meanwhile Powell started a kid from Sweden with 10 AB's all year at 3B both games because he's a senior.  And he just got in both of his senior relievers who rarely pitch to make sure they got to pitch in their last game.  I'm all about winning, but that's a classy move by George.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 03, 2014, 05:39:46 PM
Chris Winpigler with a grand slam to blow it open in Game 2 in Wilmington. 9-0 in the 6th.

Heidelberg up 3-0 in the 4th. Scored 3 in the 2nd despite not getting the ball out of the infield. Looks like if Northern found some guys that can play defense, they might be a pretty good baseball team next year. Pitching has been good.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2014, 05:50:56 PM
Quote from: Spence on May 03, 2014, 05:39:46 PM
Chris Winpigler with a grand slam to blow it open in Game 2 in Wilmington. 9-0 in the 6th.

Heidelberg up 3-0 in the 4th. Scored 3 in the 2nd despite not getting the ball out of the infield. Looks like if Northern found some guys that can play defense, they might be a pretty good baseball team next year. Pitching has been good.

Yeah, I actually just looked earlier to see if any of their top starting pitchers are seniors.  Unfortunately they're a junior and 2 sophs.  ONU should be in every game next year with that pitching.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 03, 2014, 06:17:09 PM
If ONU gets a sweep, they're in the tournament, right? Because it's 3-3.

EDIT: Make it 7-3 ONU.

EDIT again: Forgot BW beat Marietta. Looks like the only way for ONU to be 4th is for there to be a 3 way tie.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 03, 2014, 07:38:44 PM
And that's a final. Heidelberg now 3-4, 1-3 in the league of late. But that's better than last year when they closed 1-7, 1-3.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 04, 2014, 12:11:17 AM
So, as is usually the case when I have economics homework (2 more class periods to go!), I'm procrastinating.

So I put together some stats for the teams that are still in the running for the conference tournament. But these are a little different. These are hitting stats in conference play, NOT counting games against Wilmington! :)

They also don't count hit by pitch even though some teams rely on that for offense because frankly, I don't care and I did the stats. I also didn't do SLG because I'm lazy and that's a longer formula than I wanted to put into excel. It's easy enough to see from the numbers what the effect would be.

Oddly, taking out Wilmington actually improved one team's batting average. Didn't expect that. Overall, it shows how close the top 3 teams are offensively, .06 separate them in OBP.

             BA    OBP  Batting       R     2B    3B    HR     BB    K
BW      .317/.422 183-for-578 115 38    3      4       61    80
Heide  .307/.425 173-for-563 126 22    3      4       66    84
MC      .305/.419 171-for-561 118 33    6      5       64    86
JCU     .271/.368 129-for-476 70   24    2      4       46    68
ONU    .259/.326 145-for-559 85   21    5      7       76    114
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 04, 2014, 11:30:25 AM
Quote from: Spence on May 04, 2014, 12:11:17 AM
So, as is usually the case when I have economics homework (2 more class periods to go!), I'm procrastinating.

So I put together some stats for the teams that are still in the running for the conference tournament. But these are a little different. These are hitting stats in conference play, NOT counting games against Wilmington! :)

They also don't count hit by pitch even though some teams rely on that for offense because frankly, I don't care and I did the stats. I also didn't do SLG because I'm lazy and that's a longer formula than I wanted to put into excel. It's easy enough to see from the numbers what the effect would be.

Oddly, taking out Wilmington actually improved one team's batting average. Didn't expect that. Overall, it shows how close the top 3 teams are offensively, .06 separate them in OBP.

             BA    OBP  Batting       R     2B    3B    HR     BB    K
BW      .317/.422 183-for-578 115 38    3      4       61    80
Heide  .307/.425 173-for-563 126 22    3      4       66    84
MC      .305/.419 171-for-561 118 33    6      5       64    86
JCU     .271/.368 129-for-476 70   24    2      4       46    68
ONU    .259/.326 145-for-559 85   21    5      7       76    114

Good bad or indifferent hbp counts in on base percentage as does reach on error-which are not commonly found in the numbers provided by most sources.

Berg leads the free world in hbp, by a big margin. If they were "average" in that category, how would that impact their obp?  Some would be hits, some would be walks some would be.

It is part of how they have had offensive success this year though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 04, 2014, 12:53:10 PM
Like I said, if someone else cares, have at it. I don't, I don't regard it as a legitimate offensive strategy to lean into a pitch and let it hit you and hope the ump doesn't call you back. 6 of the top 9 players in HBP in the OAC are from one team. They are obviously being coached to try to get hit by pitches. It's something the league should discuss in the offseason because it's a stain on the game.

Hits and walks are a matter of doing things right at the plate. HBP is not. As mentioned, I did the stats, so I did them based on what I thought was significant. If someone else cares about something else, well the math isn't difficult.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2014, 02:12:13 PM
Bittersweet season for my Raiders this year.  Consider the following:

Their .706 winning percentage was the best in 40 years.  Unfortunately the 10-8 mark in OAC play was just not enough.  They simply didn't win any conference games that were "+1" games i.e. Games that give you a leg up on teams in the race. Like BW splitting with Etta. Or ONU yesterday.  Mount was 0-6 against the top 3. That can't happen especially when all three of them are reasonably beatable.  You have to scratch out a win or two there.  It's especially disappointing when 8...8!! of their starters are in the top 30 in the conference in hitting.

This senior class recorded the most career wins in school history, made an NCAA regional and won the first special award (Carlino) for the school in baseball.  They easily could have packed it in after that 1-7 start in OAC play, but to even my surprise they went 9-1 down the stretch with the lone loss being the split at BW.  I have to assume the seniors deserve a ton of credit for that too. Great fight shown to the end.  Makes me sad to see them go because it's always fun to root for kids like that.  They expected to win and they never quit.  I wish them well as they graduate and move on. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 04, 2014, 05:36:32 PM
Quote from: Spence on May 04, 2014, 12:53:10 PM
Like I said, if someone else cares, have at it. I don't, I don't regard it as a legitimate offensive strategy to lean into a pitch and let it hit you and hope the ump doesn't call you back. 6 of the top 9 players in HBP in the OAC are from one team. They are obviously being coached to try to get hit by pitches. It's something the league should discuss in the offseason because it's a stain on the game.

Hits and walks are a matter of doing things right at the plate. HBP is not. As mentioned, I did the stats, so I did them based on what I thought was significant. If someone else cares about something else, well the math isn't difficult.

There have been 3 or 4 times this year that Heidelberg batters have moved into pitches and each time they have been kept at home plate instead of getting first base. This is someone showing their uninformed opinion based on their own personal bias. Berg batters are coached to stand their ground, not move into pitches. They do not have a right handed batter who hangs over the plate. The vast majority of their hit batters have come in the leg or body, kind of hard to hang those body parts over the plate. I am amazed at the coaches who do not know the rule that Spence so kindly posted that if a batter freezes in the batter's box and is hit by a pitch, he is to be awarded first base.

I lost a lot of respect for ONU's coach, a former major league player for the things he argued that should be obviously known by someone who has reached that level. The balk that allowed the first Berg run to score was the most blatant I've ever seen. On a day with 20mph winds and gusts reaching at least 40mph, the Berg hitter had dust blown into his face. He asked for time and was not given it because the pitcher had started his windup. When the pitcher saw the batter with a foot out of the box, he stopped his delivery just before releasing the pitch. There should have been no discussion at all.

Later, when ONU had bases loaded and 2 outs the runner going from 2nd to 3rd was hit by the batted ball for the 3rd out of the inning. After the last bounce, with the Berg SS in position to field the easy hop, the runner passed in front of the fielder and the ball changed directions 90 degrees to the right. It wasn't the wind, yet the coach had to come argue the call.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2014, 06:13:26 PM
^^^^ as a former player (@ Marietta) and now a high school coach in Texas, nothing bugs me more than a coach who argues just to argue. Every close call, or every questionable decision by an umpire that doesn't go their way, and they are out of the dugout to put on a show....nothing delays the game more, and it always drives me crazy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2014, 06:20:54 PM
Must be one of those days in Marietta; I'm guessing the wind is blowing out and the boys brought out the boom sticks....the Etta Express has 4 home runs and counting on the day. We had our fair share of those back in the day  ;D

Oac field is set...
Marietta
Heidelberg
John Carroll
Baldwin Wallace
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 04, 2014, 08:22:08 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 04, 2014, 05:36:32 PM
Quote from: Spence on May 04, 2014, 12:53:10 PM
Like I said, if someone else cares, have at it. I don't, I don't regard it as a legitimate offensive strategy to lean into a pitch and let it hit you and hope the ump doesn't call you back. 6 of the top 9 players in HBP in the OAC are from one team. They are obviously being coached to try to get hit by pitches. It's something the league should discuss in the offseason because it's a stain on the game.

Hits and walks are a matter of doing things right at the plate. HBP is not. As mentioned, I did the stats, so I did them based on what I thought was significant. If someone else cares about something else, well the math isn't difficult.

There have been 3 or 4 times this year that Heidelberg batters have moved into pitches and each time they have been kept at home plate instead of getting first base. This is someone showing their uninformed opinion based on their own personal bias.

Actually this proves my point exactly. I have never heard of a team for which that is a semi-regular appearance before now. I imagine for each time they've been brought back, there's 3-4 times where they should have. There is simply no way that that many HBPs above the average is a matter of happenstance. They are being coached to be hit by pitches. I watched St. Thomas in a doubleheader today and there was 1 HBP in 2 games, and that kid was hit in the head. Several other times guys could have been hit but got out of the way like good sportsmen.

Berg batters are coached to stand their ground, not move into pitches. They do not have a right handed batter who hangs over the plate. The vast majority of their hit batters have come in the leg or body, kind of hard to hang those body parts over the plate. I am amazed at the coaches who do not know the rule that Spence so kindly posted that if a batter freezes in the batter's box and is hit by a pitch, he is to be awarded first base.

This is false. The *ball* must also be completely in the batter's box.

I lost a lot of respect for ONU's coach, a former major league player for the things he argued that should be obviously known by someone who has reached that level. The balk that allowed the first Berg run to score was the most blatant I've ever seen. On a day with 20mph winds and gusts reaching at least 40mph, the Berg hitter had dust blown into his face. He asked for time and was not given it because the pitcher had started his windup. When the pitcher saw the batter with a foot out of the box, he stopped his delivery just before releasing the pitch. There should have been no discussion at all.

Later, when ONU had bases loaded and 2 outs the runner going from 2nd to 3rd was hit by the batted ball for the 3rd out of the inning. After the last bounce, with the Berg SS in position to field the easy hop, the runner passed in front of the fielder and the ball changed directions 90 degrees to the right. It wasn't the wind, yet the coach had to come argue the call.

I'm not inclined to have too much sympathy for someone complaining about complaining when that person has a kid coached by Matt Palm. Say whatever you want about that, I don't care; he cries about calls more than anyone.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 04, 2014, 08:25:42 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 04, 2014, 06:13:26 PM
^^^^ as a former player (@ Marietta) and now a high school coach in Texas, nothing bugs me more than a coach who argues just to argue. Every close call, or every questionable decision by an umpire that doesn't go their way, and they are out of the dugout to put on a show....nothing delays the game more, and it always drives me crazy.

The script got flipped at the game I saw today (Augsburg-St. Thomas). The Augsburg players were very loudly approving of their teammate at the plate taking a pitch that was called a high strike. You know "leave that up there, you don't want that" etc. The ump called time to tell them to knock it off (which I didn't think they did anything wrong), and then the coach comes walking down and ump is like "don't come down here"...coach keeps walking, batter walks slowly toward him...coach keeps walking, ump finally says something again and the coach says "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I want to talk to my player." Classic!

Both umps were pretty poor, IMO.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 04, 2014, 08:56:53 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 04, 2014, 02:12:13 PM
Bittersweet season for my Raiders this year.  Consider the following:

Their .706 winning percentage was the best in 40 years.  Unfortunately the 10-8 mark in OAC play was just not enough.  They simply didn't win any conference games that were "+1" games i.e. Games that give you a leg up on teams in the race. Like BW splitting with Etta. Or ONU yesterday.  Mount was 0-6 against the top 3. That can't happen especially when all three of them are reasonably beatable.  You have to scratch out a win or two there.  It's especially disappointing when 8...8!! of their starters are in the top 30 in the conference in hitting.

This senior class recorded the most career wins in school history, made an NCAA regional and won the first special award (Carlino) for the school in baseball.  They easily could have packed it in after that 1-7 start in OAC play, but to even my surprise they went 9-1 down the stretch with the lone loss being the split at BW.  I have to assume the seniors deserve a ton of credit for that too. Great fight shown to the end.  Makes me sad to see them go because it's always fun to root for kids like that.  They expected to win and they never quit.  I wish them well as they graduate and move on.

Just the wrong year to be in the OAC. The team with the best BA in conference play and the team with the best ERA in conference play are both out of the postseason.

Speaking of the postseason awards, the Rafeld Award should be interesting. The list of the best hitters overall barely resembles the best in league play. Hug and Mathis are the only two .400 hitters for the season (with 2.5 PA/team game) but neither is even at .350 in the conference. The only players in the top 10 in BA in both league play and overall is a DH (Hunter Handel of BW) and Evan Knott of Mount Union. Can a guy that doesn't play the field be player of the year?

6 of the top 10 overall in BA are from Mount Union and BW.

Marietta's Tyler Packanik has been one of the best in league play and is a strong defensive player, but wasn't in the lineup for 15 games or so. Mitch Geers has among the best power numbers in league play but got a bit of a slow start.

So yeah, really don't know what to do with all of this. I'd be half inclined to give it to Robberts from Muskingum, who has played several positions and hit the heck out of the ball all year.

The Tekulve Award should be much more straightforward -- if it's not Christian Herstine's, there ought to be an investigation.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 04, 2014, 10:00:30 PM
Spence, you aren't even getting any support from the other Marietta people. Maybe you should take that as a hint. I really wish they would do some sort of intervention to make you see what a poor sport you are and what a bad reflection you are on the school. You have done NOTHING but run down every accomplishment by a fine group of young men from Heidelberg all year, starting in Florida with "they aren't facing other teams best pitchers." You haven't been to a single game yet you KNOW all there is to know about what has gone on in them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 04, 2014, 11:52:33 PM
Accomplishments? What accomplishments? The "choked away the top seed" trophy? The "scored 37 runs against some team no one's ever heard of from Minnesota" prize? The Academy Award for "best impersonation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa from inside a batter's box"? Jeez.

I bet I know what Palm's favorite church hymn is. "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms".

All I've done is give my honest opinion. I've held back a lot of factual info because I don't want to set you off even more than you already are (not that I'm sure how that's possible, but I'm sure it is). If you want me to go out of my way to try to make you look bad, believe me I can.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2014, 09:22:57 AM
Motorman, please do not try to drag me or anyone else into this little spat you are having.  Whatever you two have going on is between you two, I'm not going to be part of it.  I really don't care what the two of you have going on either out in the open or behind the scenes. 

My point to spence was simple, A hbp is as good as a walk or a single.  Baserunners represent scoring chances, and for completeness, I think it is reasonable to include them in any discussion of offense.  It is not a condemnation of his opinions about 'Berg,  JCU, or BW.  It is just my opinion. 

How HBP's happen are often a matter of subjectivity.  What one person says is crowding the plate or leaning in, another will say differently.  That opinion is influenced by your own rooting interests.  Bottom line, they happened.  I couldn't care less how they happened, either. 

Here is a look at some pitching/defensive numbers. 


Team   WHIP   OPP PA/IP     PA/9IP     WH/PA   ER/R   OppAvg   Opp OBP     Fld PCt     
Berg   1.627   4.642     41.779       .351   .695   .276   .356        .951     
JCU   1.518   4.475     40.274     .339   .831   .283   .346        .957     
Mar   1.251   4.209     37.881     .297   .818   .242   .302        .970     
BW   1.522   4.486     40.373     .339   .801   .271   .343        .950     

WHIP-Walks&Hits per inning pitched, HBP numbers are included as walks.
OPP PA/IP--How many plate appearances do opponents have per inning.  Factors in the "Extra outs" from errors along with the other factors of reachingbase.
PA/9 IP--How many plate appearances per a 9 inning game (ie scoring chances)
WH/PA-Walks (HBP+BB) and Hits per plate appearance.
ER/R--Percentage of runs allowed from clean defense. 
Opp Avg- Opp batting avg
OPP OBP-Opponent On base percentage
Fieldng pct.-Standard definition applies.

You can draw your own conclusions from the data.  Some things stand out to me. 

This tournament is going to be one of the toughest in the country, IMO, and whomever wins it would not be a surprise.  It wouldn't surprise me if the losers bracket game on friday was between the top two seeds, nor would it surprise me if one of those two won their first two games with little difficulty. 

Normally, the OAC tourney is 1 and 2 and everyone else is there because they have to be.  Some years it has been the top seed just warming up for the regional.  That is not the case this year.  It is going to be fun!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 05, 2014, 10:26:07 AM
A few things.

An HBP is not as good as a single because you can't score on a hit by pitch.

I think it is far beyond subjectivity when your numbers are as far outside the normal distribution as Heidelberg's are. Through April 27th (the last round of NCAA stats), Heide had 97 HBP in 36 games, by far the most in the country (almost 3 a game!). #2 was 81. Going beyond that, Heidelberg's SOS suggests that they have played better than average pitching that would be more capable than most of avoiding HBPs.

In 2010 they set by far and away the D3 record with 124 HBPs, beating out (no surprise) Wooster, who in turn broke the record of (also no surprise) 1997 Allegheny. So there must be something about being in northern Ohio and being a ball magnet. Or, more likely, it's monkey-see, monkey-do, with Allegheny and Wooster being in the same division of the NCAC and Palm being a Wooster guy. There is damn little subjectivity here.

The interesting thing about the first day matchups is that Heidelberg and John Carroll are going to be seeing new pitchers. Their top guys didn't face each other in the regular season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2014, 10:29:25 AM
A comment about the tournament schedule. 

There used to be seperate schedules for locations with lights and one without lights.  They did away with this a couple of years ago.  I think this is short sighted and not particularly fan friendly. 

If you have a facility where you can play under the lights, you should take advantage of those opportunities.  There is no reason, why game 1 shouldn't be JCU and Berg starting at 3 or 4, and the game between Marietta and BW at 6 or 7 Thursday night.  At worst, play the Marietta BW game second.  Why?  Gate receipts.  A time on Thursday later in the day for the home school to play means more $ at the gate to offset expenses. 

Don't know why there was a need to make this happen.  I've heard excuses about "using good weather."  I can't remember the last time the weather so altered the tournament that they had to make it single elimination or cancel it all together. 

I'll be there anyhow.  But it would be nice if the league would make this a little more fan friendly. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2014, 10:41:56 AM
On the special awards...I think Herstine is an absolute lock.  He has been dominant.  Look at the hits allowed vs. IP.  It's sick.

I think Brewer wins COY as he should IMO.  That team lacks a star hitter and is young on the mound to say the least.  That's not a team that just anyone could win the OAC title with in a year where there were several good teams contending.

Rafeld is tougher, but I think Hug is the pick here IMO.  #1 in the conference in avg, hits, runs scored and RBI.  Top 5 in slugging, steals.  He hits for average, power and can run.  I've never seen him play so I can't speak to his D, but he's definitely a complete offensive player.

I'll be interested to see how the All-OAC awards shake out.  1B will be interesting because Chontos, Spagna, Simmerman and Knott all had very good, similar numbers.  Personally I think it's between Spagna and Chontos for 1st team with the edge going to Spagna as a senior.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 05, 2014, 11:20:25 AM
Hug did all of his damage outside the conference though, mostly before conference play started. Maybe his workload wore him down, in which case being done with classes will probably help. I don't know, but if the coaches vote based on what they've seen, i don't know that very many will have come away with the impression that he's the guy. He may win it, but I don't think it's the best choice. He's 14 for 56 (.250) on the season against the best teams on their schedule (Case, Adrian, Moravian, Alvernia, Marietta, JCU, BW)

If you had to draft a team from the league right now though, my first non-pitcher pick is Tyler Packanik. Simply no one close to as valuable in the middle infield.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2014, 11:38:22 AM
But the problem is if not Hug, then who?  You could make an argument for half a dozen guys being about the same.  There's definitely no Jay Coakley this year.  Haha.

   

 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 05, 2014, 01:09:57 PM
Oh I know that was my point in bringing it up. Like I say, I wouldn't have a problem with Robberts from Muskingum. Played 3 positions and hit just under .400, was consistent all year. Multi-hit games against Alvernia, Salem State Haverford (2), Marietta (2), Baldwin-Wallace (2), Washington and Jefferson, Heidelberg,  Handel has been the best hitter IMO over the full season but I don't like the idea of a DH winning the player of the year. Mitch Geers is just the opposite of Hug...been better lately but struggled for a while. Packanik didn't play for about 15 games of the season but has been the best player in league play. Simmerman has really good numbers but playing at Otterbein you always wonder what that means. I think Belliveau has made a lot of big plays for his team but the overall numbers aren't there. Knott has been consistently good. The best hitter in league play for Heidelberg has actually been their 9 hole Zenczak, who could be first-team all league SS.

It may come down to who the senior is, if anyone is lol. Robberts, Hug and Packanik I know are not.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2014, 01:28:49 PM
What happened to Herringshaw this year?  He fell on some tough times by his lofty standards.  He could have had a good crack it with a year like folks expected from him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 05, 2014, 02:24:53 PM
Hard to say. It's a short season...if you scuffle for 2-3 weeks that's half the season.

Aaron Hopper of Marietta was similar in his senior year. Might be randomness, might be something else. Hard to say. Still think Herringshaw is a good player, just like Hopper was. Makes you appreciate all the more the guys that can do it over 2-3 seasons in a row.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 05, 2014, 02:38:47 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2014, 10:29:25 AM
A comment about the tournament schedule. 

There used to be seperate schedules for locations with lights and one without lights.  They did away with this a couple of years ago.  I think this is short sighted and not particularly fan friendly. 



The different schedules are still listed in the OAC media guide, not sure why they don't follow it.  I just know that whenever the tournament has been held at Marietta, they have always followed the same format.

http://www.oac.org/sports/bsb/Media_Guides/2014baseball.pdf (pg 24)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 06, 2014, 08:40:13 AM
Today I share some pitching stats for the four teams in the OAC tournament.  The stats posted below are in games against regionally ranked opponents ONLY.  I couldn't care less what a pitcher did against Wilmington or Capital.  I am interested in what happened in games against quality opponent as that is what they will be facing. 

I'm starting with Heidelberg.  For no other reason, than that is who I started with.  The stats are compiled from what is availalbe on the OAC site.  There are some limitations.  There are no numbers for opponent average or even opponent at bats against an individual pitcher to compute it.  There are also no numbers for batters hit by the respective pitchers, so in this case, the calculated WHIP only includes walks and hits.

So here is Heidelberg's staff against regionally ranked opponents.



Player   w     l     sv     ip     h     r     r     era     bb     k     hr     Whip     K/BB     K/9     
Thomas        2        1        0        19.0        28        19        9        4.26        9        5        1        1.95        .56        2.37     
Fluharty        1        1        0        19.0        20        10        8        3.79        7        12        1        1.42        1.71        5.68     
Manner        3        2        0        27.7        33        30        24        7.81        13        16        2        1.66        1.23        5.20     
Huber        2        0        0        23.7        17        10        7        2.66        15        13        1        1.35        .866        4.94     
Hendrixson        2        1        5        30.0        31        12        9        2.70        11        33        2        1.40        3.0        9.90     
Watson        0        0        0        6.7        5        4        2        2.70        2        4        0        1.05        2.0        5.40     
O' Driscoll        0        1        0        10.0        22        16        13        11.70        4        6        0        2.60        1.5        5.40     
Gray        1        0        0        7.0        6        6        4        5.14        4        5        0        1.43        1.25        6.43     
Sniezek        0        0        0        6.0        3        1        1        1.50        3        5        0        1.00        1.67        7.50     
Reiter        0        0        0        2.0        2        1        0        0.00        1        1        0        1.50        1.00        4.50     
Boedecker        0        0        0        2.0        3        3        1        4.50        1        4        0        2.00        4.0        18.00     
Verde        0        0        0        2.0        2        2        2        9.00        1        1        0        1.50        1.00             4.50     
Totals        11        6        5        155.0        172        114        80        4.65        71        105        7        1.57        1.47        6.10     
k/bb fixed

Use it how you will to draw your own conclusions.

I'll work on the other three schools soon.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 06, 2014, 10:13:15 AM
BW's pitchers against RR opponents....


Player     w     l     sv     ip     h     r     er     era     bb     k     hr     WHIP     K/BB     K/9     
Waite        1        0        0        13.3        11        4        1        0.67        5        5        0        1.20        1.00        3.37     
Albright        1        2        0        21.3        26        14        13        5.48        7        14        1        1.55        2.00        5.91     
Capodona        1        1        0        17.0        22        14        10        5.29        7        4        0        1.71        0.57        2.12     
Alioto        1        0        0        9.3        8        5        5        4.82        9        8        0        1.82        0.89        7.71     
Cichocki        1        0        1        10.0        5        3        2        1.80        3        7        0        0.80        2.33        6.30     
Heffernan        1        1        0        13.3        19        9        8        5.40        1        11        0        1.50        11.00        7.43     
Durbin        0        0        0        6.7        4        1        0        0.00        0        1        0        0.60        —        1.35     
Wittles        0        1        0        10.3        6        7        7        6.10        11        9        1        1.65        0.82        7.84     
Loeffler        0        0        0        3.7        6        2        1        2.45        3        2        0        2.45        0.67        4.91     
Murphy        1        0        0        3.3        5        6        2        5.40        2        1        1        2.10        0.50        2.70     
Taricska        0        0        0        2.0        4        4        4        18.00        0        3        3        2.00        —        13.50     
Zimmerman        0        0        0        5.7        4        4        4        6.35        5        6        0        1.59        1.20        9.53     
Fodor        1        1        0        2.3        4        3        3        11.57        1        1        0        2.14        1.00        3.86     
Totals        8        6        1        118.3        124        76        60        4.56        54        72        6        1.50        1.33        5.48     

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 06, 2014, 12:07:03 PM
Looking forward to the others. Just hope Ettafan isn't giving away too much info here!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 06, 2014, 02:12:22 PM
John Carroll's pitching numbers against Regionally ranked opponents.  15 games. 5-10.


Player     w     l     sv     ip     h     r     er     era     bb     k     hr     WHIP     K/BB     K/9     
LaPaglia        0        2        0        11.0        19        11        11        9.00        2        6        0        1.91        3.0        4.91     
Maddern        1        1        0        20.3        26             15        12        5.31        3        16        3        1.43        5.3        7.08     
Materise        2        2        0        20.0        28        19        16        7.20        1        16        3        1.45        16.0        7.20     
Doring         1        2        0        14.7        13        9        8        4.91        5        7        0        1.23        1.4        4.30     
Turosky        0        1        1        11.3        19        15        12        9.53        5        6        0        2.12        1.2        4.76     
Libertini        0        0        0        4.7        7        6        6        11.57        3        1        1        2.14        0.3        1.93     
Feretti        0        0        0        9.7        13        9        6        5.59        3        5        1        1.66        1.7        4.66     
Rosinski        0        0        0        3.7        4        3        3        7.36        2        3        0        1.64        1.5        7.36     
Spagna        1        1        0        9.3        3        7        6        5.79        9        3        0        1.29        0.3        2.89     
Vargo        0        0        1        7.7        10        6        5        5.87        4        2        0        1.83        0.5        2.35     
Verner        0        1        0        6.0        5        2        0        0.00        3        3        0        1.33        1.0        4.50     
Donegan        0        0        0        3.3        15        10        10        27.00        0        2        2        4.50        —        5.40     
Perotti        0        0        0        1.0        5        3        3        27.00        0        1        0        5.00        —        9.00     
Zallatel        0        0        0        1.0        1        1        0        0.00        0        1        0        1.00        —        9.00     
   Team        5        10        2        123.7        168        116        98        7.13     40        72        10        1.68        1.8        5.24     


Not sure what I'm giving away, here.  Publically available data that anyone with reasonable excel skills can extract.

These numbers were a little surprising to me in many ways.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 06, 2014, 02:52:31 PM
Finally, Marietta's numbers.  Marietta has played 19 game against regionally ranked opponents and are 12-7.



Player     w     l     sv     ip     h     r     er     era     bb     k     hr     WHIP     K/BB     K/9     
Byers        4        0        1        33.3        31        12        12        3.24        9        25        1        1.20        2.78        6.75     
Herstine        3        1        0        35.7        27        11        6        1.51        14        26        0        1.15        1.86        6.56     
Neberding        2        1        0        21.0        26        12        11        4.71        4        8        0        1.43        2.00        3.43     
Finlan        0        2        0        12.3        16        7        2        1.46        2        0        0        1.46        0.00        0.00     
Luyster        0        1        0        11.3        12        12        10        7.94        4        7        1        1.41        1.75        5.56     
Fulton        0        1        2        14.7        12        5        4        2.45        7        11        0        1.30        1.57        6.75     
Janus        1        0        0        9.0        2        2        2        2.00        4        7        0        0.67        1.75        7.00     
Antill        0        0        1        4.0        1        2        0        0.00        0        2        0        0.25        —        4.50     
Crowl        1        1        0        13.7        21        11        10        6.59        3        6        0        1.76        2.00        3.95     
Kirsch        0        0        0        3.3        7        5        4        10.80        1        2        0        2.40        2.00        5.40     
McNabb        1        0        0        4.3        5        2        2        4.15        2        2        0        1.62        1.00        4.15     
Sowinski        0        0        0        0.7        1        0        0        0.00        0        0        0        1.50        —        0.00     
Annett        0        0        0        1.7        1        0        0        0.00        1        0        0        1.20        0.00        0.00     
     Team        12        7        4        165.0        162        81        63        3.44        51        96        2        1.29        1.88        5.24     


So the staff's in total look like this:


Team     Wins     Losses     runs/G     ERA     WHIP     K/BB     K/9     
Marietta     12     7     4.26     3.44     1.29     1.88     5.24     
Berg     11     6     6.7     4.65     1.57     1.47     6.10     
JCU     5     10     7.73     7.13     1.68     1.8     5.24     
BW     8     6     5.42     4.56     1.50     1.33     5.48     

Make of it what you will. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 06, 2014, 10:45:23 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2014, 03:36:18 PM
Quote from: Spence on May 03, 2014, 03:32:13 PM
Marietta wins its first game in Wilmington, 10-0. Credit Wilmington, who kept it close for most of the game. 6 MC markers in the 9th blew it open.

Brewer taking no chances. He went with Herstine and Byers is expected to start the second game. Not a surprise.

Ohio Northern is batting in the 10th, tied 3-3 with Heidelberg. Derek Hendrixson has been brilliant in relief to keep Heidelberg in it. Eltzroth went 9 innings for ONU, giving way to #2 starter Ben Glischinski as Stechschulte knows they need two wins to have any chance at postseason play.

I looked at the live stats a while ago and you've got to tip your cap to Eltzroth too.  Last I saw Berg only had 3 base hits and that was in like the 6th or 7th inning I think.  They had scored a run on a balk and another on a steal of home (I'm assuming the 1st and 3rd variety) so they definitely weren't hitting him around at all.
I know Nick and his family quite well. I could not be happier for the season he is having.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 07, 2014, 12:25:38 AM
Their pitching was very solid this year. Improve the offense and defense even just a little and that could be a ballclub next year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 08, 2014, 08:14:18 AM
Game Day!

Should be an absolutely beautiful day for baseball, 85 and sunny.  Just what the doctor ordered after a year where every game/series at Pioneer park was cool or down right cold (except for one) and gale force winds.  (Winds TBA).  Weather for friday could be an issue, and Saturday looks to be rough, to say the least. 

Should be a couple of great matchups, and I don't know if there is an outcome that would surprise me in any of them. 

Some things I'm interested to see...

1.  Who gets the ball in game one for Marietta.  Early in the year it was Byers then Herstine, late in the year it was Herstine then Byers.  I think the decision comes down to who the staff feels could perform better on short rest if the Pioneers get to Sunday (I'm assuming that Saturday will be a wash out, from the looks of the forecast).  Given that Herstine had minor, very minor, arm issues earlier this year, it my be Byers today.  Either way, as a Marietta fan, I feel pretty good with either on the hill.

2.  Who gets the ball for BW?  Albright has been their typical first game guy.  Waite absolutely stymied the pioneer bats earlier in a Jacket win at Pioneer park.  It wil be interesting to see what happens with this matchup.

3.  How soon does Heidelberg turn to Hendrixson.  The youngster has had sparkling numbers all year long, and from the looks of some box scores, has saved 'Berg's bacon a few times.  I think to be successful in this tournament, Berg needs "quality starts"—6-7 IP from their starters—to keep Hendrixson's pitch count down.  IF Hendrixson has to go early and throw a lot of innings today, I think it raises the level of difficulty for Heidelberg's longer term success.

4.  Can JCU get moving in the right direction against a top quality team.  JCU's numbers against quality teams on their schedule are not particularly flattering.  Their pitching staff looks solid, until you see what they did against better competition, then not so much.   LaPaglia and Maddern didn't face Heidelberg earlier this year, it will be interesting to see what direction the streaks go. 

5.  Lastly, Wind.  Every home game this year (except for maybe BW early) at Pioneer Park Don Schaly Stadium (sorry, old habits die hard) has been impacted by wind.  I mean steady 15-25MPH wind, normally blowing out to right or right center.  It has had a fairly significant impact on the game as a whole. 

This is the most competitive OAC tournament field I've seen in years.  Often times it is a two team race with two other participants.  This year there are four legitimate contenders for the coveted Pool A bid. 

Good thing is, I get to watch it all and not spend every night in a hotel. 

Good luck to all of the teams!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 08, 2014, 08:32:25 AM
Guessing you'll be getting that 15 dollar all tournament pass then! :)

The OAC tournament is usually all about how good your top 2 arms are, and not giving away outs and runs on defense. I don't know if Friday will be a washout, but getting 3 games in looks unlikely unless they stay open half the night. Looks like graduation day at Schaly Stadium!

If the tournament does go to Sunday, starting pitchers and any long relief outings from both Thurs and Fri could be available at least for relief. Regionals start Wednesday, though, so I imagine Marietta and Heidelberg wouldn't want to extend their top guys far enough that they wouldn't be available for the start of the regional.

They could also opt to flip the schedule and play elimination games on Friday if they're sure they won't get all 3 in. That gets teams on buses and clears out hotel rooms. We'll see how it all goes starting in about 4 hours!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 08, 2014, 08:51:43 AM
Quote from: Spence on May 08, 2014, 08:32:25 AM
Guessing you'll be getting that 15 dollar all tournament pass then! :)

They sell those?  Crap!  I've been wasting a lot of money all these years!   ;D

I actually remembered my suncreen too!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 08, 2014, 08:57:45 AM
You'll definitely need that sunscreen today. Or you could just sit with the top row gang, such as it is these days. Miss hearing Brum's voice on the crowd mike. And so it goes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 08, 2014, 09:09:16 AM
We walked into the stadium earlier this year, and my son climbed to the third row, I said to him "What? you want a nose bleed or somethin'?  Get down here." to the second row.

I'm not old enough to join the top row gang anyhow.   :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 08, 2014, 11:07:47 AM
Second row in the middle section is the best seat in the park. :)

Just saying if you needed shade from the sun, that would be how you could get from getting burned.

I got *really* burnt the day that Marietta and Allegheny scored about 600 runs over 7 hours when it was like 92 degrees. That and Allegheny's third baseman are what I remember most about that day haha.

I know an Allegheny dude dented a bat hitting a home run sometime in the tournament, but I don't know if it was that day.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2014, 03:15:55 PM
Marietta comes from behind with 2 runs in the 9th to walk-off with a 3-2 win over B-W.  The kid from B-W threw an outstanding game, but sailed a throw into CF on a sac bunt attempt in the 9th.  Bad luck loss for the kid.

This tournament is going to be full of close games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 08, 2014, 03:20:41 PM
That's a tough act to follow for Heidelberg and John Carroll.

Jason Byers gets the win with 1 inning of relief. Waite was the BW pitcher who did just as well as when he threw in the regular season in Marietta, but as mentioned, his error was critical in getting the 9th inning rally started.

Brandon Cichocki couldn't stem the tide as a sac fly and a single let in the two runners he inherited from Waite.

Kyle Chontos' 2-run HR accounted for all of BW's scoring. Marietta's Herstine gave up only 5 hits in an outing that probably looks better on paper than it sounded on the radio. You can get away with some wildness when you throw like he does, though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 09, 2014, 12:36:29 AM
John Carroll beat Heidelberg in the late game, 13-7. JCU got a workmanlike pitching performance from Aaron Lapaglia and by then had built a big enough lead to withstand some shaky relief work.

I guess the good news for Heidelberg is that only reliever Adam Manner threw enough pitches to matter (the starter got one out) and Hendrixson didn't pitch at all.

The bad news for them is they face Baldwin-Wallace in an elimination game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 09, 2014, 08:12:24 AM
Some observations from both games:

Game 1. 

This game followed the script of the first matchup between Waite and Herstine.  2-1 headed to the ninth, and BW handing things off to Cichocki.  The difference was that Cichocki was unable to avoid the damage. 

Waite made the right decision (as was communicated to him by his catcher) to try to get the out at second on the sac bunt.  He simply failed to execute.  A good throw and the runner is easily out. 

Of the hits BW scraped out, only two or three were really hit well.  The home run (of course), a lead off single to start the game and a solidly hit ball on a hit and run in the later innings.  The rest were bloops and in the infield.  In fact the hit just proceeding the homerun was a blooper behind the thirdbase bag where the LF, 3B and SS all converged but nobody was able to find it.  the 3b (Hannahan) was looking back over his head trying to find it and couldn't, and the other two guys just had to run too far to make the play.  But as they say, that's baseball, and it all looks like a solidly hit line drive in the scorebook. 

The home run.  The ball was crushed.  Herstine left a pitch up in the zone and Chontos mashed it.  The only thing the wind did for it was to blow it back in play.  It was VERY CLOSE to being a foul ball.  From my vantage point, I couldn't really tell, for certain.  But it wasn't.

Some good defense by both teams. 

Game 2:

I hate using the term, "such and such showed up ready to play."  I think it is over used, and really doesn't give the other team credit for their preparation. 

JCU was extremely aggressive early, and everything went their way early.  After the leadoff guy reached, they executed a hit and run.  The runner from first, never stopped, came all the way around from first.  Heidelberg misplayed the relay (otherwise the runner is likely dead to rights at home by some 10 feet).  It also didn't help that they were throwing to third instead of just back to the infield.   From that point on, things seemed to go from bad to worse for 'Berg.  Seeing eye basehits, a dropped fly ball on a diving attempt (ruled a hit, as the ball came out of the glove when the cf landed).  Badly played balls by the outfield, and before they knew it, Thomas had been chased from the game, and they trailed by 5 runs.  They were very fortunate to get out of the first inning on a spectacular double play where the middle infield made a diving stop behind the second base bag flipped and just got the batter at first. 

LaPaglia had good enough stuff to keep 'Berg at bay most of the day.  He struggled later in the game, and the student prince bats started to solve him a little and then things got adventerous to say the least for the Streaks. 

Both bullpens struggled.

John Carroll hit the ball hard all day long.  Berg's defense let them down quite a bit--4 errors, bad outfield play.  They had a rough day, all around.  Heidelberg's pitching also struggled.  They worked behind batters quite often and struggled.

Eric Monroe was the bright spot as he absolutely tatooed two balls to left for "no doubt about it" home runs.  One was a three run shot, the other a solo.  Sadly, the bases were loaded in the inning prior to the solo shot, and Berg failed to extend the inning to bring him up with runners on.  That could have been very interesting and much tighter than JCU woud have liked. 

Weather is going to be a factor today, and perhaps tomorrow.  May only get one game in. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 09, 2014, 01:20:22 PM
Good info!

On the weather, this stuff looks to be coming from the SW and not the W. So the proximity of the rain on the radar may be misleading because the stuff around Cincinnati is more than likely not headed to Marietta...the stuff coming up the river or thereabouts would be. This is why Schaly would often look over the Williamstown Bridge to get his "weather forecast". :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2014, 01:46:44 PM
JCU wins 11-8 in winner's bracket final.  Marietta will have to battle through loser's bracket, like Heidelberg.

from watching the live video feed, it looks like a jet stream to left center today (shifting to dead center/right center at end of game)...the difference in this one will be the runners on base when JCU got their big HR in the 9th, vs the solo shots for Marietta.  That and all the Marietta errors.

JCU sure is hitting the ball these first 2 days.  They deserve to get a regional spot IMO; we'll have to see how this all shakes out the next few days.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 09, 2014, 03:04:16 PM
Looks like a storm popped up south of PKB and may be headed toward the ballpark.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 09, 2014, 03:23:44 PM
Rain delay in Marietta. Just a brief storm it looks like but the main body of rain is advancing more quickly now and it looks like there may be only be about 2 hours left in the playing day at Schaly Stadium.

Looking unlikely that this 2nd game is completed before the main body arrives.

If today ends early they really need to get this game completed and another in Saturday. That seems questionable.

Having won their way to the championship game, rain favors John Carroll winning the tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 09, 2014, 06:16:17 PM
And Heidelberg is back to Edelweiss or wherever they came from after a 13-11 loss to Baldwin-Wallace. 26 runs allowed in 2 games for the Burgers.

Really not looking like a regional team right now. Lost season series to Case. Lost season series to BW, lost the league by 2 games clear, 0-2 in the conference tournament, lost 6 of 9 overall.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 10, 2014, 12:50:43 AM
Well, Brewer said at the beginning of the year that this was a really good league.

Baldwin-Wallace was very good today and John Carroll showed the quality they've had all year. Getting Doring back and near 100% helps a lot too.

Can the OAC get 3 teams? The Pool A and Marietta seem pretty likely to be in, but a third...depends on what happens tomorrow and Sunday I guess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 10, 2014, 07:33:17 PM
The tarp is coming off the field (again) in Marietta. 9-7 John Carroll, 9th inning, 2 BW runners on, 1 out.

Would guess John Carroll will need a new pitcher.

JCU came back from 7-2 down to take the lead. Hold they lead, and they are champions.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 10, 2014, 08:06:03 PM
BW scores 3 in the 9th in what can only be described as highly controversial fashion. JCU turned what looked like a double play to end the game, but the umpire ruled the runner safe at second. BW went on to score on a bases loaded walk, then take the lead.

Bottom 9 now, BW up 1 with a chance to force a second game.

BW wins, 10-9 when the game ends on *another* controversial call at 2nd.

JCU charged out of the dugout thinking they had won, and now has to play another game.

BW may have done enough to get a Pool C berth, but I'm sure they don't want to count on that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 10, 2014, 09:18:35 PM
And now fog may become a factor. Some light fog moving in, nothing too serious yet.

This has certainly been one to remember.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 12, 2014, 06:21:42 AM
Great to see all 4 OAC teams make the field. Could be historic, since they are in 3 different regions. Baldwin Wallace in Mid Atlantic regional, Heidelberg in Mid West, and Marietta and John Carroll in Mid East. Hopefully we see more than 1 make it to Appleton.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 12, 2014, 07:19:59 AM
I'm thrilled with the draw for all our OAC teams!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2014, 10:38:36 AM
Congratulations to Herstine and Hug on their awards.

The All-OAC awards drive me nuts sometimes.  I hate when they do dumb stuff like name Lauer and Grove both 1st team catcher and then have no 2nd team catcher.  Make a decision.

I wouldn't be a homer if I didn't lodge a couple Mount-related gripes.  I was bummed that Jakubik didn't get better than HM.  He was 3rd in the conference with a .440 BA in OAC games (.379 overall) and drove in 20 runs in OAC play.  But I was borderline shocked that Morino was left off.  He had 13 errors in 18 OAC games, but to my surprise he wasn't much worse than the guys picked in that regard (one had 12 I saw).  I guess I kind of assumed a guy who was All-OAC last year and ended up 7th in the conference at .387 this year would make it.  It's especially puzzling when the kid with 12 errors is a freshman who hit .314 with negligible power numbers.  Guess I don't get it.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2014, 10:41:27 AM
Forgot...the reason the Jakubik thing didn't bother me as much is because I'm guessing Hesse would have had the choice to flip flop him and Mathis between 2nd team and HM and he chose to put his senior up for 2nd team.  So I almost view that as a coach's decision, not a voting one.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 12, 2014, 10:56:24 AM
From a very limited number of times seeing a few of the players....

Lauer from JCU was very good in the OAC tourney and in the regular season. 

I only saw Hug play two games, but he didn't necessarily impress me as much as Monroe did at the plate.  Defensively he was an adventure.

Kettering was really solid at Short when I saw him early in the season.

I didn't see any of the kids from Mount or ONU. 

Herstine was as good of a pitcher as anyone I saw all year.  A couple of kids from other conferences really impressed me, but Herstine was dominant most of the times he pitched. 

Byers was inconsistent.  At times dominant, at times shaky. 

Waite from BW was the second best OAC pitcher I saw this season.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 12, 2014, 11:02:15 AM
I don't think they looked much at in-conference play vs. full season at all, or defense.

As far as the regional, I would like where BW is except their first round opponent may have a first team all-American starting pitcher.

Heidelberg was definitely done a huge favor, drawing a team they've beaten twice and are very familiar with. Concordia has a great record but their top two pitchers were knocked around by MIAC schools in probably the toughest teams they faced (they did beat St. Thomas though). The issue for Heidelberg is going to be where is the pitching going to come from...that's become the consistent problem in their late-season downturn.

Marietta probably got a favorable first round draw though Berks does have one pitcher with impressive stats so little doubt that's who MC will see. But getting Widener-LaRoche winner in the second round is tough, both teams look pretty good. And then Mike Finlan's health becomes an issue, and if he's not able you're looking at the kiddie brigade again unless Fulton starts.

JCU got a tough draw, but when you're a Pool A that wouldn't have been a Pool C, you don't have the right to ask for much more than a 6 seed. Both JCU and Salisbury look to have aces I would describe as "good enough" but not great for this level. So in other words, JCU isn't up against a likely all-American.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 13, 2014, 03:40:56 PM
Part of the reason they don't look at just the conference games is because that is actually a minority of their season for the teams that don't make the OAC Tournament. 18 of 40 scheduled games are conference games. We could play 27 conference games like the teams out west and then complain about our SOS numbers not comparing.

In all your complaining about Heidelberg's HBP numbers Spence, you left out any mention of who is the co-leader in the HBP category. Is it embarassing that Geers has been hit that many times. Maybe he picked the wrong school to attend too. Since the next highest Marietta hitter in the HBP category has only been hit 4 times, he must really be moving into a lot of pitches too. Doubt Marietta's opposition suddenly gets really wild only when he is at the plate.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 13, 2014, 08:33:37 PM
Geers is one player on a team. Marietta's team is not getting hit that many times, so obviously there's nothing being done on a program level here. And that's all that really matters with regard to that discussion, so you really made the point for me.

He led the team last year with 10 but second was 9, so I'd chalk up at least part of this year's numbers to being a product of multiple outliers -- being hit more often than normal, and other guys not getting hit as often. I don't even know if Geers has Marietta's program record because it's not in the records link on the website. That's for good reason; it's a garbage "record" that requires no skill.

Geers has 19 HBP and the next highest on MC is 4.
Heidelberg has guys with 19, 17, 16, 14, 13, 9, 9, 7 and 115 total. Heidelberg has hit batters almost as many times as Marietta batters have been hit.

So you tell me which program has guys being coached to be hit and which doesn't.

At this point I wish some pitchers would learn to throw because Marietta's had two guys injured this year on hit by pitches. Figures that the team that doesn't try to get hit by them is the one that has the injuries.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 13, 2014, 09:00:17 PM
As far as numbers in league play go, it should be pretty darned obvious now that the OAC was a higher level of competition than non-conference, and of course you're facing #1 and #2 pitching most of the time as well.

I realize mileage can vary on this one, but at the least I like to see guys do well both inside and out of the league. Still think BW was/is the best offensive team in the conference.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 14, 2014, 08:01:27 AM
Quote from: Spence on May 13, 2014, 09:00:17 PM
As far as numbers in league play go, it should be pretty darned obvious now that the OAC was a higher level of competition than non-conference, and of course you're facing #1 and #2 pitching most of the time as well.

I realize mileage can vary on this one, but at the least I like to see guys do well both inside and out of the league. Still think BW was/is the best offensive team in the conference.

Other than one weekend that I witnessed, last weekend, when that team was JCU, good grief they were scorching hot. 

BW has a lot of offensive weapons but not a ton of high quality pitching outside of Waite  (if Albright isn't 100%, it is another blow to their staff)
Berg has a ton of offense, but if they don't pitch better and play better defense than they did in the OAC tourney, their trip to Whitewater could be very short.
JCU has 3 guys who are solid on the mound which bodes well for regional competition.  If they hit like they did last weekend, they will be very tough to beat at the regional.
Marietta has 2 All-Region quality pitchers (if not All American quality), and a struggling offense.  Their pitching depth took a blow with the loss of their #3, and the rest of the saff, outside of closer Mike Fulton, is really young and inexperienced. 

I look for JCU to make a little noise in between torrential downpours.  Today might be OK (the direction the storm systems are moving bodes well at least from my amatuer perspective).  Tomorrow's forcast looks like a total bust. 

Unforunately, I won't get to see it all.  My step daughter graduates from college this weekend, and I head out of town on Friday to witness that.  Some things are just more important than baseball, and as much as I really want to watch the tounament, I want to be there for her even more.  So, after thursday (and likely after today), row two behind the dish is there for the taking.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 14, 2014, 10:25:26 AM
Enjoy your daughter's big event!

I am not putting much into the stuff about Albright. He pitched twice last weekend...he must not be that hurt.

I think Marietta's top 2 pitchers may just get them through this.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2014, 12:36:14 PM
GREAT JOB B-W!!!

The Yellow Jackets win their first game 8-4 over Misericordia.  The offense looked great, just like last weekend.  Good luck in the next one!!!

OAC: 1-0
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 14, 2014, 12:40:04 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2014, 12:36:14 PM
GREAT JOB B-W!!!

The Yellow Jackets win their first game 8-4 over Misericordia.  The offense looked great, just like last weekend.  Good luck in the next one!!!

OAC: 1-0

Very impressive. I expected Dorosh to be a handful but they smacked him around. First loss a starting pitcher for Dorosh, 16-2 career all told. BW is what we thought they were.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 14, 2014, 01:17:08 PM
Whitewater's stadium makes Marietta look like a high school field.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2014, 01:32:29 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 14, 2014, 01:17:08 PM
Whitewater's stadium makes Marietta look like a high school field.

pictures look nice, but I've never been a fan of the half turf, half grass fields.

I'm a high school coach in Texas, and I'll tell you what, I haven't seen any high school facilities down here close to as nice as Marietta's, but maybe you have.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 14, 2014, 02:36:52 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 14, 2014, 01:17:08 PM
Whitewater's stadium makes Marietta look like a high school field.

Obvious troll is obvious.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 14, 2014, 06:20:10 PM
Interesting that Harrison went to Zimmerman in relief.  Kid barely had 10 IP all year and he throws 4.1 of scoreless relief today.  He was an excellent pitcher in HS so I'm not surprised.  Maybe Harrison just didn't want to use him on the mound regularly and lose his bat if/when he had to come out.

Good job so far OAC!  Keep it up Berg/JCU!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 14, 2014, 08:27:01 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2014, 01:32:29 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 14, 2014, 01:17:08 PM
Whitewater's stadium makes Marietta look like a high school field.

pictures look nice, but I've never been a fan of the half turf, half grass fields.

I'm not either, but having lived a few winters up here I can definitely understand having a turf infield.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 14, 2014, 08:29:04 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 14, 2014, 06:20:10 PM
Interesting that Harrison went to Zimmerman in relief.  Kid barely had 10 IP all year and he throws 4.1 of scoreless relief today.  He was an excellent pitcher in HS so I'm not surprised.  Maybe Harrison just didn't want to use him on the mound regularly and lose his bat if/when he had to come out.

Good job so far OAC!  Keep it up Berg/JCU!

I think you hit it exactly. He went to him in the OAC tournament too when you would have expected otherwise. They're not a great defensive club anyway, and so losing a middle infielder maybe was something Harrison was reluctant to do.

I was surprised he left Waite on the shelf, but he got away with it...now wonder if he'll press his luck again after the Haverford upset.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 14, 2014, 10:23:18 PM
This is absolutely off topic, but is Brewer a Marietta lifer?  I'd think so, but Beals is on the hot seat at OSU and with OSU dropping the ball on Stricklin when they hired Beals (Strick had the last laugh landing the Georgia job obviously) there aren't a lot of coveted in state candidates if the job opens  again.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 15, 2014, 07:58:04 AM
Was told by a fairly reliable source, the only reason Zimmerman didn't go D-I to pitch is because he really wanted to be an everyday player in the lineup as well.  He was impressive last weekend in relief.


Dr. A, I would be very surprised if Brewer left to pursue an opportunity at Ohio State (they could do far worse!), but they do have a pocket book and money can be a significant force in the universe.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 15, 2014, 08:09:51 AM
Yeah I wouldn't want to answer that for anyone. I feel very sure that he's quite happy in Marietta. But that doesn't really answer your question.

Zimmerman's pretty short to have been a D-I pitcher. I'd say he probably made the right move.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 15, 2014, 10:40:12 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2014, 01:32:29 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 14, 2014, 01:17:08 PM
Whitewater's stadium makes Marietta look like a high school field.

pictures look nice, but I've never been a fan of the half turf, half grass fields.

I'm a high school coach in Texas, and I'll tell you what, I haven't seen any high school facilities down here close to as nice as Marietta's, but maybe you have.

I honestly had no intention of dissing Marietta's facility so I apologize (something someone else should try sometime), was just trying to express how nice it was at Whitewater. Maybe I should have said that the field at Whitewater is as close to a minor league facility as I have seen at a D3 school. Just add a few more seats and it would be nicer than some minor league fields I have seen. I am not thrilled with the turf either but it sure looked nice.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 15, 2014, 10:48:37 AM
I have been very disappointed in the late season total collapse of the Heidelberg pitching staff. It has been the entire staff, not just 1 or 2 pitchers. Thought they waited way too long to take Huber out yesterday. After 9 hitter drove in the 4th run he should have been taken out. It is frustrating because I have seen mechanical flaws in several pitchers that haven't been fixed.

Add to that several key hitters suddenly slumping and you have the terrible results in the last 2+ weeks.

They ironic part is now the defense is playing well. Went a whole game yesterday without an error.

They hit a lot of balls well yesterday but right at the Adrian defense. The senior middle infielders were the only ones to hit consistently. Would have liked to not have to play a team we beat twice in the season again for the 2nd time in less than a week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 15, 2014, 10:59:41 AM
^^^^  maybe they can rally around "not letting Coach Palm's season end", and turn it around with their backs against the wall.  Would love to see them make a little run here, and end on a some what positive note.  Their play the last few weeks isn't a typical Palm ball club.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 15, 2014, 12:57:58 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 15, 2014, 10:40:12 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2014, 01:32:29 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 14, 2014, 01:17:08 PM
Whitewater's stadium makes Marietta look like a high school field.

pictures look nice, but I've never been a fan of the half turf, half grass fields.

I'm a high school coach in Texas, and I'll tell you what, I haven't seen any high school facilities down here close to as nice as Marietta's, but maybe you have.

I honestly had no intention of dissing Marietta's facility so I apologize (something someone else should try sometime), was just trying to express how nice it was at Whitewater. Maybe I should have said that the field at Whitewater is as close to a minor league facility as I have seen at a D3 school. Just add a few more seats and it would be nicer than some minor league fields I have seen. I am not thrilled with the turf either but it sure looked nice.

I haven't been there but just from pictures I think it sounds crazy. Marietta looks to have MUCH better lighting, MUCH better press and umpire facilities (you've probably never seen the umpire room), much more seating (400-500 seats would not be nearly enough for Marietta's needs), and it looks like the scoreboard is bigger and more easily viewed from the stands.

It's not a matter of being dissed -- it's not like you can credibly do that anyway -- but just a matter of reflection of reality.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 15, 2014, 01:50:57 PM
ouch...Heidelberg not looking good today.  Hendrixson, arguably their best pitcher, gave up 4 hits (including a 2-run HR), had 4 walks, and got yanked after 1.2; plus they have given up 6 stolen bases and a few wild pitches in the first 2 innings, and made 2 errors. 

Hopefully they can hit and hit and hit; they may need to score 15 to win this one and advance.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 15, 2014, 02:09:42 PM
I like the idea of starting Hendrixson. Wonder if he's thrown too often for a FR this year or something and is wearing down.

They just don't have a lot to draw on there. He was getting it done with smoke and mirrors for a while but someone must have broken the smoke machine.

Lot of errors today too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 15, 2014, 03:23:47 PM
Berg is now down 4 runs in the botto of the eighth.  Barring some last inning magic, they will be headed home far earlier than they wanted.  I'm sure dropping 7 of their last 8 games is not how they planned to finish their season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 15, 2014, 03:28:03 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 15, 2014, 03:23:47 PM
Berg is now down 4 runs in the botto of the eighth.  Barring some last inning magic, they will be headed home far earlier than they wanted.  I'm sure dropping 7 of their last 8 games is not how they planned to finish their season.

Or Palm's career. I doubt at the end of 2010 he could have foreseen anything like the last 4 years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 15, 2014, 04:04:42 PM
Not a good end to an otherwise decent season. 

I give a lot of credit to Coach Palm.  He took Heidelberg from a perenial cellar dwellar, to not just a contender for league titles, but a contender for regional titles on a regular basis.  He improved the OAC tremendously.  Before he took over it was mostly a one horse race for a long period of time.  He made 'Berg better, he made the OAC better, and he pushed Marietta to be better through a higher level of competition.  I wish him well and hope he enjoys being a part of his kids growing up. 

It seems like he is leaving at a time when the conference is on a significant upswing.  Coach Harrison at BW has that team moving in a good direction, ONU seems to be on the rise.  Hopefuly Coach Thibeault can continue to keep JCU at a higher level.  I would hope that Mount Union can continue to be a factor in the coming years as well.  And you still have arguably the best coach in Division III baseball  pacing in the dugout like a caged tiger down in Marietta. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 15, 2014, 04:28:51 PM
I don't know about pushing Marietta to be better. We finished 2nd in the nation in 2001 and 2002 and probably win the championship in 2002 if DeSalvo is healthy.

Marietta has always pushed itself to be better. Brewer has done a tremendous job of getting ahead of the curve and continuing to innovate and evolve the program while keeping the same root philosophies and culture that were long established. That doesn't change no matter who else is in the league or region.

Palm certainly raised the level of the Heidelberg program, but before him there was Otterbein battling, before that there was Wesleyan and Wooster, and before that were the Fishbaughs and Strayers and Fishers. If it's worth being good at, there's always going to be people competing to be as good as the best. If you are the best, it doesn't really matter who those people are as long as you keep making yourself better and staying a step ahead.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 15, 2014, 06:35:34 PM
B-W is laying the wood to Haverford 10-2 in the 9th...well done yellow jackets!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 15, 2014, 09:48:58 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 15, 2014, 01:50:57 PM
ouch...Heidelberg not looking good today.  Hendrixson, arguably their best pitcher, gave up 4 hits (including a 2-run HR), had 4 walks, and got yanked after 1.2; plus they have given up 6 stolen bases and a few wild pitches in the first 2 innings, and made 2 errors. 

Hopefully they can hit and hit and hit; they may need to score 15 to win this one and advance.

You are right, arguably. The outcome of the game was decided when the starting pitcher was chosen. He leads the team in home runs allowed, was only about 6 of 9 in save opportunities, 2 of his wins were the result of blown saves, and his era would be about twice as high as it is if it factored in all the inherited runners he has allowed to score. It was a desperate move that blew up in their faces. Would have been different if he had pitched better than everybody else last weekend, but in the BW fiasco 8 runs scored in the 4 innings he pitched.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 15, 2014, 09:52:19 PM
Quote from: Spence on May 15, 2014, 12:57:58 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 15, 2014, 10:40:12 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2014, 01:32:29 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 14, 2014, 01:17:08 PM
Whitewater's stadium makes Marietta look like a high school field.

pictures look nice, but I've never been a fan of the half turf, half grass fields.



I'm a high school coach in Texas, and I'll tell you what, I haven't seen any high school facilities down here close to as nice as Marietta's, but maybe you have.

I honestly had no intention of dissing Marietta's facility so I apologize (something someone else should try sometime), was just trying to express how nice it was at Whitewater. Maybe I should have said that the field at Whitewater is as close to a minor league facility as I have seen at a D3 school. Just add a few more seats and it would be nicer than some minor league fields I have seen. I am not thrilled with the turf either but it sure looked nice.

I haven't been there but just from pictures I think it sounds crazy. Marietta looks to have MUCH better lighting, MUCH better press and umpire facilities (you've probably never seen the umpire room), much more seating (400-500 seats would not be nearly enough for Marietta's needs), and it looks like the scoreboard is bigger and more easily viewed from the stands.

It's not a matter of being dissed -- it's not like you can credibly do that anyway -- but just a matter of reflection of reality.

This is really funny. It would be more than enough for the 10 people who came to Heidelberg to watch the might Pios play.

Another case of you going off in your blue goggles without a clue to what is really there because you know everything about everything.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 15, 2014, 10:12:21 PM
Now, a couple final thoughts on the Heidelberg season.

Contrary to what some of you might believe, these last 2 weeks are not indicative of an over ranked, over hyped team. What has happened is a very admirable group of young men poured their hearts and souls into turning around a season that could have gone straight down the toilet from a disastrous start in Florida to become a top 10 team. That effort finally wore them down to where they were a shadow of the team they were for most of the season.

I am so glad I never have to read another post from Spence.

I don't apologize for one moment defending the Berg baseball team's efforts from an overzealous wannabe who spent his time in college wishing he was on the field instead of up in the pressbox talking about the guys out there playing. That wannabe was trying to diminish the Heidelberg accomplishments in any way he could to build up his own alma mater's image. This team rebounded from a mediocre season in 2013 with few changes to challenge Marietta for the league championship up to the final weekend. I am so proud of the way they all battled throughout the season, I only wish it could have ended on a better note for all of them.

I wish Coach Palm all the success possible in building the sports programs and facilities at Heidelberg into something that brings students onto campus, not ones that students come to in spite of. I hope he enjoys watching his kids play as much as I have enjoyed mine.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 15, 2014, 11:26:39 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 15, 2014, 09:52:19 PM
Quote from: Spence on May 15, 2014, 12:57:58 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 15, 2014, 10:40:12 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on May 14, 2014, 01:32:29 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 14, 2014, 01:17:08 PM
Whitewater's stadium makes Marietta look like a high school field.

pictures look nice, but I've never been a fan of the half turf, half grass fields.



I'm a high school coach in Texas, and I'll tell you what, I haven't seen any high school facilities down here close to as nice as Marietta's, but maybe you have.

I honestly had no intention of dissing Marietta's facility so I apologize (something someone else should try sometime), was just trying to express how nice it was at Whitewater. Maybe I should have said that the field at Whitewater is as close to a minor league facility as I have seen at a D3 school. Just add a few more seats and it would be nicer than some minor league fields I have seen. I am not thrilled with the turf either but it sure looked nice.

I haven't been there but just from pictures I think it sounds crazy. Marietta looks to have MUCH better lighting, MUCH better press and umpire facilities (you've probably never seen the umpire room), much more seating (400-500 seats would not be nearly enough for Marietta's needs), and it looks like the scoreboard is bigger and more easily viewed from the stands.

It's not a matter of being dissed -- it's not like you can credibly do that anyway -- but just a matter of reflection of reality.

This is really funny. It would be more than enough for the 10 people who came to Heidelberg to watch the might Pios play.

Another case of you going off in your blue goggles without a clue to what is really there because you know everything about everything.

OK well that was a complete non-sequitur.

Marietta had 1500 for the John Carroll regular season doubleheader and 600+ for a couple of OAC tournament games. Regional turnout would have been better if they had been allowed to play later in the afternoon. Pretty stupid to have the 1 seed play while everyone is working.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 15, 2014, 11:39:01 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 15, 2014, 10:12:21 PM
Now, a couple final thoughts on the Heidelberg season.

Contrary to what some of you might believe, these last 2 weeks are not indicative of an over ranked, over hyped team.

No, that's exactly what it is. Regression to the mean, not to mention having to finally play some tough games away from home. Not surprisingly, it wasn't in the cards. 0-6 in May. Wow.

What has happened is a very admirable group of young men poured their hearts and souls into turning around a season that could have gone straight down the toilet from a disastrous start in Florida to become a top 10 team.

Disastrous start in Florida? Weren't you like 8-2 down there? Or do you mean the first day when you got beat twice by a better team?

That effort finally wore them down to where they were a shadow of the team they were for most of the season.

I am so glad I never have to read another post from Spence.

I don't apologize for one moment defending the Berg baseball team's efforts from an overzealous wannabe who spent his time in college wishing he was on the field instead of up in the pressbox talking about the guys out there playing.

And I don't apologize for telling it like it is. Reality is you all should have never been the 2 seed but everyone was fooled by your W column when you hardly had to leave home to play anyone good in the conference, and always drew other team's down the line pitching out of conference because no one respected you enough to save their ace against you.

I never thought I was good enough to play at Marietta. Maybe I could have been the ace for Heidelberg though, doesn't seem to take much for that. Wouldn't trade my Marietta experience for anything though. It serves me still today; still my best experience as far as learning from a great leader what an excellence-driven program is about and how it's led; it was my first real leadership experience in a job setting, and it set me on a path to do some really cool stuff.


That wannabe was trying to diminish the Heidelberg accomplishments in any way he could to build up his own alma mater's image.

LOL I dunno if you happened to look up at all when you were in Marietta, but there are six flags up there that say no one has to "build up" anything about the program.

This team rebounded from a mediocre season in 2013 with few changes to challenge Marietta for the league championship up to the final weekend. I am so proud of the way they all battled throughout the season, I only wish it could have ended on a better note for all of them.

I can definitely appreciate this sentiment. That's one thing we always expect from Palm's teams; that they'll give great effort and energy. Sometimes a little too much energy haha, but definitely reflective of him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 16, 2014, 08:28:44 AM
I am sad to see Palm go.  He's good for the conference in that he elevated a bad program to, at its peak, a top 5 program.  Not a lot of people can say that.  The other important impact he has had at Berg?  Hiring Mike Hallett to coach the football team and getting the on campus stadium project done.  Those are catalysts to improve the entire athletic dept.  Congrats to Palm on a great run as a coach and good luck to Matt Palm the AD and dad.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 16, 2014, 10:58:46 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 16, 2014, 08:28:44 AM
I am sad to see Palm go.  He's good for the conference in that he elevated a bad program to, at its peak, a top 5 program.  Not a lot of people can say that.  The other important impact he has had at Berg?  Hiring Mike Hallett to coach the football team and getting the on campus stadium project done.  Those are catalysts to improve the entire athletic dept.  Congrats to Palm on a great run as a coach and good luck to Matt Palm the AD and dad.

agree....his energetic personality will thrive in his new role, especially getting people excited about the athletic program, which leads to great fundraising efforts.  Best of luck to him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 17, 2014, 12:39:35 PM
Nice article on the front page of D3football.com about Derek Hug balancing baseball, football and a pre-med major.  Sounds like he's the very definition of an exceptional student athlete. 

Speaking of which, I was happy to see Mount had a team GPA over 3.0 for the 4th straight semester this spring.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 17, 2014, 06:40:47 PM
B-W wins again!!!  They stay undefeated and advance to regional championship where they await an opponent (who must beat them twice). Great job Yellow Jackets!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 17, 2014, 07:32:08 PM
Well that ends a really strange season for Marietta, in a really strange tournament. Not sure I've ever seen a situation before where I'd rather they'd been on the road and not had to worry about all the weather stuff, and they lost a lot of home games anyway even in the regular season.

Bunch of young guys, most of them coming back. Better days ahead next year, but unfortunate for the guys whose college careers ended today.

Great job by coach Brewer coaxing an OAC regular season championship out of such a young group.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 18, 2014, 10:49:18 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 29, 2014, 04:28:15 PM


All I'm saying is "I'll take my chances" with those two guys and then see what happens from there. I'd much rather have two very formidable aces than to not have them.





HA HA!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseball411 on May 18, 2014, 03:42:48 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 18, 2014, 10:49:18 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 29, 2014, 04:28:15 PM


All I'm saying is "I'll take my chances" with those two guys and then see what happens from there. I'd much rather have two very formidable aces than to not have them.





HA HA!

You're pathetic. Win something ever.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseball411 on May 18, 2014, 03:48:13 PM
Marietta's won three of the last eight national championships. BW is a win from Appleton. JCU just won their first oac tourney and 2nd regional bid in program history.  ONU on the up and up.  So many good things for the oac lately and all you can be is antagonistic because berg fell off the tracks and their lack of pitching caught up with them. Embarrassing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 18, 2014, 04:10:49 PM
Quote from: d3baseball411 on May 18, 2014, 03:48:13 PM
Marietta's won three of the last eight national championships. BW is a win from Appleton. JCU just won their first oac tourney and 2nd regional bid in program history.  ONU on the up and up.  So many good things for the oac lately and all you can be is antagonistic because berg fell off the tracks and their lack of pitching caught up with them. Embarrassing.

All I can be antagonistic about is being ridiculed all year by a of front runner from Marietta who refused to see that they weren't as good as he thought they were. Berg will be back next year with a bunch of Junior pitchers who got a lot of experience the last two years. He got a good look at what it's like to lose pitchers to injury. Berg didn't have a lack of pitching, they just got worn out. Berg finished ahead of JCU who they swept in the regular season and BW who they split with. That sounds like being on the same level with them. I was just trying to show he didn't know nearly as much as he thinks he does. Marietta had an ace and an inconsistent #2 and NOTHING else on the mound this year.

I can't stand a bully or a know it all, and Spence was both this year. He chased more people away from participating on this thread with his attacks that started while the teams were still in Florida. He started ridiculing Berg's accomplishments from not seeing other team's best pitchers, to their schedule, to their propensity for being hit by a pitch (LEGALLY).

And I really can't stand people who can't let somebody enjoy what is happening this year so they fall back on the "so what, talk to me when you've won X # of championships" argument. That is ancient history and has absolutely nothing to do with this season. I am very happy for BW and wish them all the luck in the world at Appleton. I think it is great for the OAC when the 4th place team in the regular season makes it to the World Series. It bodes well for multiple at large bids in the future.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 18, 2014, 06:29:00 PM
Well done Yellow Jackets!!!!  Heading to the Wod Series for the first time...what a season! Enjoy every minute and make your parents, alumni, and fans proud!

We're all cheering for you to bring home the walnut & bronze!!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 18, 2014, 06:54:10 PM
Congratulations BW. Harrison is doing good things up there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 19, 2014, 06:31:57 AM
Quote from: motorman on May 18, 2014, 10:49:18 AM
Quote from: Spence on April 29, 2014, 04:28:15 PM

All I'm saying is "I'll take my chances" with those two guys and then see what happens from there. I'd much rather have two very formidable aces than to not have them.


HA HA!

I stand by that statement. I'd take those two guys to head the staff. Widener threw a very good pitcher, took a chance in the first game and got away with it when LaRoche stupidly took the same chance. Weiss threw a good game. Neither one is going to end up winning the tournament so I'd question how well the gamble worked out long term but the prisoner's dilemma of the whole thing worked out for them and not for us. That's baseball.

Both Herstine and Byers are sophomores...short list of guys that have been better as soph pitchers at MC. Zero senior pitchers on this year's team. Doesn't necessarily mean everyone will be back but it does mean there should be a lot of experienced options next year. You can ask ettafan, I always thought 2015 was really our year, but of course we expect to compete for honors every year.

At least they didn't go 0 for May and wind up having their senior so-called ace passed over twice for starts in the regional. That's embarrassing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 19, 2014, 06:42:09 AM
Quote from: motorman on May 18, 2014, 04:10:49 PM
Quote from: d3baseball411 on May 18, 2014, 03:48:13 PM
Marietta's won three of the last eight national championships. BW is a win from Appleton. JCU just won their first oac tourney and 2nd regional bid in program history.  ONU on the up and up.  So many good things for the oac lately and all you can be is antagonistic because berg fell off the tracks and their lack of pitching caught up with them. Embarrassing.

All I can be antagonistic about is being ridiculed all year by a of front runner from Marietta who refused to see that they weren't as good as he thought they were. Berg will be back next year with a bunch of Junior pitchers who got a lot of experience the last two years.

LOL really? This is the card you're gonna play? Weren't you just complaining about a lack of mechanical development and coaching from the guys that are there now? All of Marietta's guys are back next year too, on the mound and almost all in the field.

He got a good look at what it's like to lose pitchers to injury.

You are a dope. MC lost more batters than pitchers. Hanahan, Winpigler, Johnston and a couple of FR that were expected to make an impact but never really got the chance. But that's never going to be used as an excuse at MC.

Berg didn't have a lack of pitching, they just got worn out.

No, they pretty much had a lack of pitching. Their ace gave up the second most hits in the OAC in conference play. Their #2 couldn't throw strikes. Their best pitcher was a FR that threw in pretty much every important game, sometimes 3 and 4 innings, now I'll believe he got worn down because Palm overused him.

Berg finished ahead of JCU who they swept in the regular season and BW who they split with. That sounds like being on the same level with them. I was just trying to show he didn't know nearly as much as he thinks he does. Marietta had an ace and an inconsistent #2 and NOTHING else on the mound this year.

10-2 is inconsistent. d3baseball.com's first-team all region. You're a funny guy.

I totally called this crash by Berg, only it started in the regular season rather than the postseason like I expected. Just not enough pitching to go in a tournament setting and they were living on getting favorable matchups and a lot of home games. When Berg swept JCU they didn't face any top pitching.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 19, 2014, 04:46:23 PM
Called it? You prayed for it every day. You threw enough crap against the wall all year something had to stick eventually. Maybe I should remind you of your opinion of Mount and who would win the Mideast regional. Had to laugh at those. I never predicted anything, especially about teams and players I had never seen.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on May 19, 2014, 05:57:54 PM
The person I told know knows what I said. And I know. And you...well, I really don't care. I was sad to see Heidelberg shipped because I knew they were easy pickings.

I had Marietta beating Salisbury in the regional. Salisbury won. If I was just "throwing crap against the wall" then I'd only have had a 25% chance of the regional winner being in those top 2. So I'd say I wasn't that far off the plot. A 1-run ballgame was pretty much the difference. Fair play to Widener, they got it done. But it's not like I was out to lunch by any stretch.

I don't care nearly enough about Heidelberg to pray for anything re: them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 20, 2014, 08:35:40 AM
Congrats to the BW Yellow Jackets for getting to Appleton.  They have had an impressive run at the end of the season for certain.  They are the first OAC school not named Heidelberg, Otterbein, or Marietta to make it to the CWS.  It will be interesting to see how far they can go.

The OAC looks to be a very strong conference again next year.  There are a lot of quality returning players and very good coaches in this league.

For Marietta, it was not a year where the expectations were particularly high.  It turned out far better than I expected given how the season evolved.  (If you wish to go back through this thread, you will see where I expected Marietta to be in the top 4, but I didn't feel confidently enough to predict them winning the regular season title and hosting the OAC tourney).  There were some behind the scenes rumblings that Herstine was going to be very good this year, and he was just that.  Byers was a somewhat known entity.  After that the Marietta Pitching staff was a major unknown.  Injuries  and inexperience plauged the pitching staff down the stretch.  The offense was somewhat disappointing.  They struggled to hit the ball all year long and at times were overly aggressive running themselves out of innings and potential runs.  This was a young team, and things should be better for them next year. 

JCU has a lot of talented guys returning next season as does BW.  Berg has some players on the roster, but will have to deal with the change in coaching staff.  ONU had a young team and will be in the mix next year as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 23, 2014, 10:31:02 AM
Way too early thoughts on 2015:

Etta:  With Herstine leading the way and their track record for developing pitching they have to be the favorite to win the regular season title and host again next year IMO.  Need to improve the hitting obviously. 

BW:  With their 2-3-4 hitters back in tow they should again be the most dangerous lineup.  Waite will be gone and he's been good for them.  They need to replace him.  Harrison does a good job bringing talent in so they'll be fine I'm guessing.

Berg:  This is weird to say, but even with Hug back my impression of Berg next year right now is that they lack star power.  There's no Lizcano or Lowe on this team yet.  But the thing is they just have a bunch of pretty good guys so they're going to be good again IMO.   

ONU:  With those 3 starting pitchers back alone you have to think they're a favorite to make the OAC tourney. 

JCU:  Herringshaw, Lauer and Spagna is a lot of offense to replace.  Luckily they have pitching back to balance it out.  They'll be in the thick of it for a conference tourney spot.

Ott:  They're going to hit (and with Kettering and Simmerman they're going to hit it far), but can George find enough pitching to make it stand up?  They were spotty on the mound this year. 

Mount:  They lose 2/3 of their lineup to graduation and their #1 starter.  Good news is that Morino, Jakubik and Mohney all hit well as juniors and Clarke pitched as well as anyone they had this year.  They need to replace the entire OF, 1B and DH.  That's a lot of new faces in spots you need production.  They also need Toma to step into a more prominent role in the rotation after showing some good promise this year.

Musky:  Robberts is back.  He's good.  Other than that?  It's Musky...I never know what to expect.  But Thompson almost always has them competitive.  You overlook the Fish and you'll get beat.

Cap:  They lost a ton.  And they didn't have a good year this year.  Next year could be rough.  Or glass half full you recruit your a** off and play a bunch of freshmen because you can sell "come here and start now".

Wilm:  I just hope they get their numbers up a little.  For the sake of their arms they need some pitchers at the very least.   

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 23, 2014, 11:33:17 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 23, 2014, 10:31:02 AM
Way too early thoughts on 2015:

Etta:  With Herstine leading the way and their track record for developing pitching they have to be the favorite to win the regular season title and host again next year IMO.  Need to improve the hitting obviously. 

Marietta loses two regular season contributors-ungerbeuhler and Buckewicz.  Josh's bat will be missed in the lineup.  The good news is the rest of the position players are back.  They do need to step up their offense though and that will be a high priority.  Herstine is a great anchor to the rotation.  Byers needs to develop his breaking ball and one other pitch.  The think I like is a lot of the freshman pitcher showed a lot of promise on the mound.  Nieberding has the physical tools, needs to get his fastball faster and improve his breaking/offspeed stuff.  Antill has as much promise as any of the ones I saw.  McNabb got some innings late in the year and also looked very strong when called upon.  His fast ball has some zip and his breaking stuff is crisp.  The others all have some potential as well.  I agree, looking at the league, I would have to say Marietta is (even with my pinstriped glasses on  8-) ) the early favorite and certainly one of the top three teams.

BW:  With their 2-3-4 hitters back in tow they should again be the most dangerous lineup.  Waite will be gone and he's been good for them.  They need to replace him.  Harrison does a good job bringing talent in so they'll be fine I'm guessing.

I am very interested to see how the Jackets do this weekend in Appleton.  Waite is as good a pitcher as there was in the OAC.  After that, their pitching was not the strongest.  Zimmerman has a lot of potential.  They have the sticks and the aggressive mindset to match.  I think they will be a tough team in the OAC next year and are one of the top three contenders.

Berg:  This is weird to say, but even with Hug back my impression of Berg next year right now is that they lack star power.  There's no Lizcano or Lowe on this team yet.  But the thing is they just have a bunch of pretty good guys so they're going to be good again IMO.   

I see berg in the 'next three.'  I don't see a strong pitching staff, yet.  Defensively they struggled at times.  Hug is a talented kid, no question.  I actually thought Monroe was the most dangerous hitter for them in the OAC tournament, and he is back.  He was killing the ball.  Hug looked pretty average in the tourney (which is the only time I saw 'Berg this season.) 

ONU:  With those 3 starting pitchers back alone you have to think they're a favorite to make the OAC tourney. 

I agree.  That was a young team.  IF they can get some offesnive support around Beliveau, they are going to be in that "next three" contending for one of those four spots.

JCU:  Herringshaw, Lauer and Spagna is a lot of offense to replace.  Luckily they have pitching back to balance it out.  They'll be in the thick of it for a conference tourney spot.

JCU is the other team I would think is in the "favorite" category.  They have quality pitching in spades.  Losing Lauer, Spagna, and Heringshaw is a lot of offense, but they cupboard is not bare, either.  Gentile, Sabatino, Cifello all provide a good nucleus.  JCU will be in the mix for the top spot. 

Ott:  They're going to hit (and with Kettering and Simmerman they're going to hit it far), but can George find enough pitching to make it stand up?  They were spotty on the mound this year. 

Pitching is a key component.  Otterbein has to find it.

Mount:  They lose 2/3 of their lineup to graduation and their #1 starter.  Good news is that Morino, Jakubik and Mohney all hit well as juniors and Clarke pitched as well as anyone they had this year.  They need to replace the entire OF, 1B and DH.  That's a lot of new faces in spots you need production.  They also need Toma to step into a more prominent role in the rotation after showing some good promise this year.

Humans in general have a tendnecy to project recent past results into the future.  IT is hard to look at what Mount is losing to graduation and not do the same.  The good news is if they do better it will be above expectations.  Don't know how they could be more disappointing than last season.  Hitting wasn't their problem. They are in the "second three" group.

Musky:  Robberts is back.  He's good.  Other than that?  It's Musky...I never know what to expect.  But Thompson almost always has them competitive.  You overlook the Fish and you'll get beat.

Cap:  They lost a ton.  And they didn't have a good year this year.  Next year could be rough.  Or glass half full you recruit your a** off and play a bunch of freshmen because you can sell "come here and start now".

Wilm:  I just hope they get their numbers up a little.  For the sake of their arms they need some pitchers at the very least.

So In general I agree. 

The first three (highly like to make the tournament, potential favorites to win the regular season title):
Marietta, JCU, BW.
The next three(fighting for one of the four spots, outside chance to host):
ONU, Berg, Mount
The Next two (will likely figure in the league race but a 4th place finish woul be a success).
Otterbein, Muskingum
The rest.
Cap and Wilm.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 23, 2014, 05:50:36 PM
Way to go BW!  5-4 winners. Capadona comes into a jam in the 2nd, gets them out of it and goes on to pitch 6 innings of shutout relief.  Gugliotta and Hiller come through with big 2 out hits in the 7th and 8th, respectively.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 31, 2014, 02:26:55 PM
Interesting article on NCAA website: http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2014-5-26/hit-pitch-king

Certain people should note this quote, particularly the part that starts, "But if you truly understand baseball..."


When Angerer topped the conference mark, he received a note from former recorder-holder Andre Gomez, who played at Cal Poly Pomona in 1999 and 2000.

"As the former record holder, I understand that most casual observers won't look at the HBP record as a record to admire like they do home runs or RBIs," Gomez wrote. "But if you truly understand baseball, you know that every base runner counts and runners on base equals runs scored, and runs scored equals victories. In my personal opinion, if I didn't leave the field every day dirty and with a new bruise, I just didn't feel like I played that day."
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Spence on June 01, 2014, 04:15:58 PM
Link still broken. Whatever.

Guy got one thing right...it's definitely not a record to admire. It's about 2 steps down from holding a record for walks, and about one step down from a record for sacrifice flies or something...at least that guy drove in a run and had to hit the ball to do it.

Did Heidelberg end up breaking the team HBP record? It looked like a lock but with their late season collapse they might actually have not made it. Haven't cared enough to look it up, really.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: lefty2 on June 06, 2014, 01:00:12 PM
Misericordia beat Moravian in the Mid-Atlantic Regional thanks largely to a back-to-back-to-back HBP.  It wasn't pretty, but the runs still counted.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on July 16, 2014, 02:36:57 PM
Ex Capital pitcher Thomas Marker, 2000-2003, named head coach at Upper Arlington.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 31, 2014, 05:45:23 PM
Congratulations to Mount Union assistant Evan Agona on being named the HC at Cuyahoga CC.  He did a great job at Mount, especially with mining talent out of western PA with his connections there.  He'll be missed, but I wish him well at Tri-C.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on December 13, 2014, 01:23:41 PM
Heidelberg has most of its schedule posted except for the Florida trip which are tbd. With new coach comes something else new, they play 4 games before going south. At the end of Feb they play Manchester and Case in Chillicothe.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on December 13, 2014, 01:25:46 PM
Motorman, are they going to the snowbird again?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 14, 2014, 02:13:19 AM
Those February games at Veterans seem to have a high cancellation rate.  I mean, it's February in Ohio!  Turf or no turf it's tough to play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on December 14, 2014, 11:47:25 AM
Owu has done the veterans February schedule several times. Even if the games do not get cancelled it can be miserable. My son has pitched there in high winds with snow falling sideways. Hogh temp was 32.
Welcome to baseball in Ohio.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on December 18, 2014, 07:01:57 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on December 13, 2014, 01:25:46 PM
Motorman, are they going to the snowbird again?
As far as I know, yes they are going to the Snowbird Classic again. They also play some games down in Fort Myers since the Snowbird is usually loaded with OAC teams which they won't play down there. Usually it gives them some better quality opponents than if they stick exclusively to Port Charlotte.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on December 18, 2014, 07:07:52 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on December 14, 2014, 02:13:19 AM
Those February games at Veterans seem to have a high cancellation rate.  I mean, it's February in Ohio!  Turf or no turf it's tough to play.
They are Feb 28 and Mar 1. At least they are making the effort. Coach Fitz has a pretty good relationship with the Paints organization. Maybe it will make a debacle like we had to sit through in the first day in FL last year less likely if the team gets to play up here before the trip south. Doubt I will ever forget that travesty of a double header in 40 degree weather when it is supposed to be warm in FL.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 29, 2014, 01:19:19 PM
I took a look at Mount's schedule OOC and I was happy to see some solid opponents.  They play RHIT and Concordia (IL) in FL.  Up north they have SJF, LaRoche, W&J and Behrend.  Those are at least some decent squads outside the OAC. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 29, 2014, 08:28:24 PM
FWIW, Cory Waite is listed on the 2015 roster on BW's site.  His return would be huge for the Jackets.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on December 30, 2014, 08:15:32 AM
Waite's return is significant.  He was one of the best opposing pitchers I saw last year, and maybe one of the 4 best of anyone I saw throw last year.  His two matchups with the Marietta guys were incredible. 

It is good to see Mount schedule some higher quality non conference teams.  That will only help them over the course of the season. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 05, 2015, 10:41:23 AM
Yeah, it's definitely a big boost for BW to have Waite back.  I still think Etta is the favorite, but it definitely makes things more interesting. 

It'll be fun to watch how Mount responds to playing some stiffer OOC games.  They'll have a lot of new faces starting this year so it'll be good for them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 05, 2015, 12:57:16 PM
I know for most of the NCAC schools the academic scholarships are 4 years only. So if a Student-Athlete in a spring sport still has eligibility left it is at the full cost of attendance. It is a little different for Fall sports. Do you know if it is the same policy at the OAC schools? I know it probably varies from school to school. But is their a rule of thumb. I am pretty sure most of teh private liberal arts school have the 4 year limit on the scholarships.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 05, 2015, 01:39:43 PM
I'm not sure.  I don't recall anyone on our team being on a full-ride academic scholarship (or even half-ride).  Everyone was on need-based grants and those were ongoing because mine went to my 5th year without issue.  So in my case if I had a 5th year to play it would have been the same cost of attendance as my first 4 years. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 05, 2015, 04:46:45 PM
Thanks,
I mis-spoke. I did not mean a full academic ride. I just meant that the academic scholarships are only for 4 years. He may be able to get them extended for a fifth year, but supposedly if he would go a 5th year he would be paying the full freight of attendance.

The need based would probably still be their but the grants and scholarships due to test scores and HS grades are only for 4 years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 14, 2015, 08:23:09 AM
Congratulations to the OAC preseason All-Americans:

1st team:  Herstine
2nd team:  Hug
HM:  Winpigler, Chontos, Belliveau
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on January 15, 2015, 07:43:43 AM
^^^^ congrats to all these young men!

On a Marietta note, Byers will not be back this spring due to academic ineligibility...per his Twitter account. I believe he has transferred to Shawnee State.

Looks like Herstine and last years young guys will have to lead the staff.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 15, 2015, 10:43:09 AM
Was it Byers that struggled with this last year as well? He may also be getting some Athletic Aid from SSU. They are an NAIA program. I know of another young man attending SSU.

Here is his profile from the SSU roster.
http://www.ssubears.com/roster/29/1/2168.php
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 15, 2015, 10:58:36 AM
Looks like SSU also picked up Reaman from Witt. He last played for them in 2013. Looked to be a very good player:

http://www.wittenbergtigers.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/bios/reaman_brandon_xdjt

It looks like he did not play anywhere in 2014.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 15, 2015, 01:56:28 PM
Geez, Shawnee State has 15 transfers including 9 JUCO guys.  If Byers was struggling academically and looking to transfer the first two schools I would have suggested would have been Ohio Dominican and SSU so I think this may be a smart move for him.  As always, I would love to see good players stay in the OAC, but first and foremost I want the kid to get his degree.  Good luck to him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 15, 2015, 03:51:31 PM
I have watched SSU's rosters over the years, because I have known a few players who played their or who were interested. I have seen quite a few Marietta players roll through their. This is the first one though that I can say that was a major contributor at Marietta.
Good luck to him, I hope everything works out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on January 19, 2015, 08:46:06 AM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on January 15, 2015, 07:43:43 AM
^^^^ congrats to all these young men!

On a Marietta note, Byers will not be back this spring due to academic ineligibility...per his Twitter account. I believe he has transferred to Shawnee State.

Looks like Herstine and last years young guys will have to lead the staff.

Looks like someone else isn't interested in playing school.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettaexpress on January 22, 2015, 02:31:03 PM
I don't plan on posting a whole lot here, but I would rather focus on the Marietta players that will be in uniform rather than those that might have been expected to come back but didn't.

First thing I noticed with the roster posting is this is by far the most physically imposing recruiting class in Marietta history. I haven't cross-referenced every roster ever, but I feel like I'm on pretty safe ground with that. 15 players 6-0 or taller, 7 that are 6-3 or taller. Pitchers that are 6-8, 6-6, 6-5, 6-4, 6-3...the basketball team didn't have a recruiting class that big! There have been years at MC where the tallest pitcher was 6-foot-1!

Pretty stunning. Obviously no idea right now if they can play, but definitely a different level of size and presumably strength, given that MC usually doesn't have many overweight players. In light of the high seam/low seam issue, it seems prudent to rely less on breaking ball pitchers at least for now. Presumably most of these big kids can throw fairly hard.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 22, 2015, 02:47:23 PM
Quote from: ettaexpress on January 22, 2015, 02:31:03 PM
I don't plan on posting a whole lot here, but I would rather focus on the Marietta players that will be in uniform rather than those that might have been expected to come back but didn't.

First thing I noticed with the roster posting is this is by far the most physically imposing recruiting class in Marietta history. I haven't cross-referenced every roster ever, but I feel like I'm on pretty safe ground with that. 15 players 6-0 or taller, 7 that are 6-3 or taller. Pitchers that are 6-8, 6-6, 6-5, 6-4, 6-3...the basketball team didn't have a recruiting class that big! There have been years at MC where the tallest pitcher was 6-foot-1!

Pretty stunning. Obviously no idea right now if they can play, but definitely a different level of size and presumably strength, given that MC usually doesn't have many overweight players. In light of the high seam/low seam issue, it seems prudent to rely less on breaking ball pitchers at least for now. Presumably most of these big kids can throw fairly hard.
Welcome to the board Etta, I am truly surprised that your handle was available with the number of Etta posters we have had in the past. Enjoy your stay.
Do you know if the OAC will be using the low seam ball during the regular season? I believe it is up to the conferences. the only conference I am aware of that is using it for sure is the SCAC. I am sure others will as well, but plenty probably will not.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettaexpress on January 22, 2015, 04:29:13 PM
Not even close to a clue on that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 24, 2015, 06:14:58 PM
Preseason poll is out.

#13 Etta
#20 BW
ORV (#31) Berg

Initially I thought that was a little low for BW, but they did lose 20 games last year.  They accomplished a ton and have a lot back, but they were by no means dominant from start to finish.  Toss them in the top 20 as a reward for their great run and let them earn their way up or down from there.  Seems fair to me.

Also of interest regionally, CWRU checked in at #15.  The NCAC, on the other hand, did not garner a single vote.  Sounds like the OAC in the preseason hoops poll!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettaexpress on January 25, 2015, 08:02:11 PM
BW should be very good. They went 6-7 against Berg, JCU, Marietta and ONU with 0 of those games coming on their home field. They outplayed St. Thomas but lost a one-run game that can only be described as "that's baseball". Four of their losses were to scholarship programs (notice they're not playing any of those this year).

They'll need to find a couple more pitchers, but that's pretty much everyone at this time of year.

Though Marietta is pretty much the favorite every year until there's a reason they shouldn't be, it would be reasonable to expect BW to win the conference based on the schedule turning back toward them, and how they finished last year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 28, 2015, 07:40:46 PM
Mount has their 2015 roster posted.  65 kids in total including 24 freshmen this year.  Pretty standard split between classes:

10 - Sr
15 - Jr
16 - So
24 - Fr

Hopefully some of the youngsters can play because there are spots to be won this year. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 28, 2015, 08:34:15 PM
Dr. So 64 is typical? That seems like a lot. Or is it that they are trying to rebuild?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 28, 2015, 11:25:22 PM
That's not far off from where they normally are.  I'd say they're usually anywhere from 55-65.  There are some OAC programs like Berg that are typically smaller (40ish) while others like Mount and BW are typically larger (50+).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 28, 2015, 11:39:50 PM
Thanks, I knew BW was usually pretty big. I think harrisons first class had close to 50 freshman in the fall. OWU has gone as high as 45, total , or somewhere  there abouts.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: 108 Stitches on January 29, 2015, 11:01:17 AM
Holy Canolie - 64 players!

Wow, I guess looking at the roster break down vs years there is quite a bit of roster self regulating.

How do they manage a practice?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 29, 2015, 11:25:11 AM
Ott is another one they have 55 players on the roster. I have not done the breakdown.

http://www.otterbeincardinals.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball

I have no problems with big rosters. That information is out there for any potential recruit. Any incomming Freshman should be aware that no matter what they think they heard from the coach, they need to be ready to compete. The best will play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on January 29, 2015, 02:46:20 PM
During the recruiting process, my son was told by a college coach that some schools give their athletic departments a directive to carry larger rosters in order to increase the enrollment at the school.  This applies to all sports, not just baseball.  I am not saying that all schools with larger rosters fall into this category, but more than a few do. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 29, 2015, 06:47:08 PM
I can only speak to Mount, but they do not cut anyone.  If kids are willing to put in the time they'll never discourage you from being on the team.  That being said, you may not get the reps or coaching attention the expected varsity team gets.  It's really more of a burden on the coaches' time than anything if they end up doing split JV/Varsity practices.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on January 29, 2015, 09:49:58 PM
One good thing about the way Berg does it is everyone is on the same program. They all do the same fund raising and they all go on the Florida trip. I know Mount doesn't take everybody to FL. My son was hurt Freshman year and couldn't throw at all and he went to Florida.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 30, 2015, 08:12:17 AM
Definitely not...Mount takes more like half the team to FL.  Probably around 30 guys I'd guess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ettaexpress on January 30, 2015, 06:13:02 PM
Quote from: motorman on January 29, 2015, 09:49:58 PM
One good thing about the way Berg does it is everyone is on the same program. They all do the same fund raising and they all go on the Florida trip. I know Mount doesn't take everybody to FL. My son was hurt Freshman year and couldn't throw at all and he went to Florida.

I could easily be wrong, but it seems like maybe this has changed with the coaching change? Heidelberg definitely has more people on the roster than last year, and some of them are not assigned a number.

It looks like Marietta has a smaller roster than pretty much all the teams mentioned here so far. I count 38 on their roster page.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 09, 2015, 02:46:51 PM
Kyle Lindquist has been promoted to full time assistant and Michael Mulvey is a new Volunteer assistant at Denison. I only post it here because Kyle and Michael are Marietta Alumi.

http://denisonbigred.com/sports/bsb/2014-15/releases/20141104no7brj


Starting to look like Marietta North. I would wish them well bu you know, I am a Bishop fan. :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 10, 2015, 03:03:21 PM
It will be interesting to see if Deegan is able to recruit high caliber players.  I think he will have little trouble in the instruction part if he can get the kids to school.  Good to see a guy like Kyle do this.  I think it has been a goal of his since he graduated.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 10, 2015, 03:57:45 PM
He seems to have done pretty well so far. Whether they are the same caliber that Marietta gets is yet to be seen. He has done a really good job getting to the NCAC tourney but has runs of rough luck once he gets there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 10, 2015, 07:12:17 PM
The way I look at it is if Case can be as good as they are then so can Denison.  Granted, Denison isn't the academic draw that Case is, but I still think Deegan can win there.  It's a cool campus, a very good school and a good location.  I think he'll get them to the level Craddock had them at.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 11, 2015, 11:48:13 AM
Any hopes for the Quakers this year? Are they going to continue to struggle? Has Cleaver improved the team any?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: d3baseball411 on February 12, 2015, 02:49:12 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on January 15, 2015, 07:43:43 AM
^^^^ congrats to all these young men!

On a Marietta note, Byers will not be back this spring due to academic ineligibility...per his Twitter account. I believe he has transferred to Shawnee State.

Looks like Herstine and last years young guys will have to lead the staff.

I know this forum is to talk about the OAC and it's players, but losing Byers has a bigger impact in this conference than is being talked about IMO.  He's thrown roughly a quarter of Marietta's innings the last two seasons.  All-Region both years with a lot of good wins.  Pounded the zone with good pace on the bump. 

Herstine, Fulton may get them through 130 (mostly) quality innings but there's a lot of uncertainty about the other 270 ip for this program.  Great time to be a freshman.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 12, 2015, 07:59:18 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on February 11, 2015, 11:48:13 AM
Any hopes for the Quakers this year? Are they going to continue to struggle? Has Cleaver improved the team any?

They were 4-30 and had 22 kids on the roster last year.  They HAVE to be improved this year I'd think.  First off, they have 29 kids this year including 11 freshmen.  That's more than double the freshmen class of the previous year.  Add in the fact that they have 10 juniors and 6 seniors and they're actually pretty experienced too.  While they got drilled by the top teams in the OAC last year they split with Cap and Ott and were very competitive with ONU and Musky as well.  I certainly don't think they're going to jump up and win a bunch of games, but I wouldn't be surprised if they claw out a 4-14 or 5-13 record in conference play this year.  Baby steps.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 15, 2015, 10:45:19 AM
Hard to believe considering it's 3 degrees outside currently, but baseball season starts in less than a week.  Cap kicks it off in FL at the Russ Matt next Saturday.  JCU also opens Saturday in Beckley with a DH against Gheny.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 20, 2015, 09:43:21 AM
Quote from: d3baseball411 on February 12, 2015, 02:49:12 PM

I know this forum is to talk about the OAC and it's players, but losing Byers has a bigger impact in this conference than is being talked about IMO.  He's thrown roughly a quarter of Marietta's innings the last two seasons.  All-Region both years with a lot of good wins.  Pounded the zone with good pace on the bump. 

Herstine, Fulton may get them through 130 (mostly) quality innings but there's a lot of uncertainty about the other 270 ip for this program.  Great time to be a freshman.

This certainly is a big loss.  There are also some other key losses in the Marietta Bullpen.  Kordell Antill did not return, he was a promising freshman last year who pitched some quality relief innings.  Mike Finlan who started last year as the teams #3/4 guy in the rotation also did not return.  He injured his arm near the end of the season.  I don't know if that influenced his disappearance.

I don't know if Fulton will be a starter or not.  He was basically the closer for the Pioneers last year, and until we see otherwise, I think he stays in that role.

Herstine is obviously the ace of the staff.  Tyler Nieberding was the #3/#4 starter a year ago, He will be in the mix for a rotation spot.  Tommy Crowl threw some quality innings against Dennison in an exhibition game last October, I would guess he will be pushing for one of those starting spots.  Unfortunately those guys were not on Byers level. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 21, 2015, 09:43:36 AM
Mount can't like seeing a good Stark county player go to ONU.  Szendrey is a quality pitcher.  He should help ONU next year.

Jake Szendrey (http://www.prepbaseballreport.com/profiles/OH/Jake-Szendrey-2075496183)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 21, 2015, 06:43:47 PM
JCU had their DH with Allegheny postponed today. 

Capital thumped Brandeis 18-6 to open their season in FL.  The Crusaders have a very winnable DH with Alma (2-0) tomorrow.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 22, 2015, 11:11:55 PM
Cap drops both ends of their DH today by a run.  4-3 and 3-2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 26, 2015, 01:56:53 PM
Capital is off to a 2-3 start. They beat Brandeis and Cleary in Florida and lost twice to Alma and once to Augustana.
http://www.athletics.capital.edu/sports/bsb/2014-15/schedule
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2015, 03:37:09 PM
Mount drops their season opener 6-1 to RHIT.  They have Wartburg this afternoon.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 02, 2015, 05:24:41 PM
Mount beat Wartburg 23-6 yesterday.  They split with Clark today to sit at 2-2.  I was looking for a sweep today so they have a little ground to make up IMO. 

Otterbein swept St. John's (MN) today.  The Cards are 4-0 now.

ONU beat up Northlands 17-3 to improve to 2-1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 02, 2015, 05:36:18 PM
My first look at the box score from the RHIT game was not pleasant.  For starters, they got 1 hit by RHIT.  Not good, but it's one game so not a big deal.  The bigger deal is that for some reason Sam Clarke only faced 5 batters before being relieved.  And it wasn't because he was being hit around.  I hope he's okay and it's not an injury situation.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 02, 2015, 07:50:35 PM
Dr. Could it be because it is early and he hit his pitch limit? Being up north most pitchers may not be streched out yet.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2015, 07:37:53 AM
I don't think that's what it was.  He finished the first inning in relatively short order.  I'd be shocked if he had more than 20-25 pitches when he came out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2015, 07:48:48 AM
Ott (6-0) beat up on Finlandia twice yesterday.  They won game 2 by a score of 18-1 and Finlandia walked 15 guys the first 5 innings. Yikes.  ONU gets a turn at this punching bag today.

Mount (3-2) came back from down 4-0 to claw out a 6-4 win over Eastern Mennonite.  Congrats to freshman Noah Skladan who got his 1st ever start and went 7 to pick up his 1st collegiate win.

JCU (2-3) wasted a great start from Libertini (7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 6 K) when the pen gave up 2 each in the 8th and 9th to lose 4-2 to Northlands.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2015, 07:25:21 AM
ONU (3-1) blasted Finlandia 21-2.  The Bears had 20 hits. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2015, 12:18:28 PM
Good test for Mount this afternoon against #9 Concordia.  Hopefully they pick up a quality win.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2015, 10:28:41 PM
Mount gets a 6-4 win over Concordia behind a solid start from Soph Beau Taylor (5.2 IP, 2 ER).

ONU, Ott and JCU all won as well today so a good day for the OAC in FL.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2015, 02:16:44 PM
Mount sweeps Trine today 7-3 and 7-3.  Raiders look to finish the spring trip 8-2 tomorrow with a DH against Ursinus before they hit the road north.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2015, 09:49:09 AM
Round 1 of the OAC tour down south concluded and it went pretty well.  Ott (9-1), ONU (7-1), Mount (7-3) and JCU (6-3) all posted solid results.  Only Cap (3-4) finished with a losing record.  The grain of salt is that reviewing the schedules it doesn't look like anyone played a brutally tough schedule.

It looks like BW, Etta, Berg, Musky and Wilm all get underway today or tomorrow.  Good luck to all.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 08, 2015, 02:51:00 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2015, 09:49:09 AM
Round 1 of the OAC tour down south concluded and it went pretty well.  Ott (9-1), ONU (7-1), Mount (7-3) and JCU (6-3) all posted solid results.  Only Cap (3-4) finished with a losing record.  The grain of salt is that reviewing the schedules it doesn't look like anyone played a brutally tough schedule.

It looks like BW, Etta, Berg, Musky and Wilm all get underway today or tomorrow.  Good luck to all.

It remains to be seen if the JCU loss to a team that ONU beat 17-3 and Berg throttled 37-2 last year is symptomatic or just a hiccup.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2015, 03:19:13 PM
Ehh, I don't make much of any one win or loss in FL.  I think JCU is fine.  They have good starting pitching so they'll be a factor in the OAC again this year, IMO. 

If Ott is back up it's just going to create an even bigger battle royal for those 4 spots.  I'll put it this way...there is going to be at least one, possibly more, legit good teams that don't even make the OAC tourney.  This conference is very competitive currently and that's awesome as a fan.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 09, 2015, 10:45:16 AM
Musky gets a win against a historically good Montclair State team. 2-1. Not al lot of offense. 8 hits for Montclair and 6 for Musky.

Looks like Musky will be a young squad, No seniors and 5 Jr, 12 Sophs, and 9 Freshman.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 09, 2015, 10:52:39 AM
I have to agree with the Dr. on this one. Spring trip losses sometimes are hard to judge. JCU might have faced that teams Ace, while the ONU may have faced a starter lower on the list. Especially with this years weather and teams playing their first games down south, they may have not seen enough time outside to work out everyone role.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 10, 2015, 05:15:29 PM
I might agree if it was virtually any other team. They had nothing on the mound last year and their last 2 games against OAC schools they allowed more than an avg of 25 runs per game. I did say though it remains to be seen if it was just a hiccup by the JCU offense.

Berg went to 4-0 with an 8-3 thumping of Wabash today. Wabash has a tough pair tomorrow with Marietta and Baldwin Wallace.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sir Battlescars on March 11, 2015, 06:56:03 AM
I agree, great start to the season for Heidelberg, and they started a Freshman against Wabash. The lefty had a shaky first but settled down to pick up the win. Should be a very competitive year over all for the OAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 14, 2015, 12:03:16 PM
Mount's DH with SJF has been rained out.  It was originally pushed from today to tomorrow, but it is now cancelled.  Their Monday DH at Westminster is also off.  March in Ohio.  What a joy.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 14, 2015, 09:49:38 PM
Anybody from Marietta what happened to Herstine? He started the first game in FL and didn't make another appearance in the next 9 games. Would be a big blow to an already thin staff if he's hurt.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2015, 02:47:21 PM
BW finished up their FL trip 8-0.  Berg is also 7-0 down south with a few more games to go I believe.

Also, looks like Mount rescheduled with SJF for next Sunday.  DH in Alliance.  Could be interesting too coming on the heels of the JCU DH the day before.  Of course, this is also March in Ohio so let's just be happy if any of the games can be played!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 15, 2015, 04:22:09 PM
Berg dropped their first game today to Johns Hopkins 11-5. They have 2 more to go before coming back north. The D has been much improved this year but they gave up 4 unearned runs today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 15, 2015, 06:12:46 PM
Quote from: motorman on March 14, 2015, 09:49:38 PM
Anybody from Marietta what happened to Herstine? He started the first game in FL and didn't make another appearance in the next 9 games. Would be a big blow to an already thin staff if he's hurt.

I don't know for sure, but the stats aren't available for the Ohio Wesleyan game that Marietta won on March 13th. There is a good chance he would've been in line to start that game since it was 5 days after his first start.

Like I said, I don't know, I'm just guessing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 16, 2015, 03:56:04 PM
Herstine pitched against OWU.  Did OK. 

My early season take on the Pioneers.

They are 6-4.  They could have easily been 8-2 or maybe even 9-1.  The only team that really handled them from start to finish was Moravian in the opener.  Cortland jumped out early and got everything they wanted from the Pioneers.  Wabash was handed a win in walk off fashion, and the Bullpen and defense were letdowns against a solid Webster team. 

1.  This pioneer team seems to be a much better hitting team than last year's version (which was one of the worst in the 20+ year I've been watching them.)  They are getting solid contributions from 4 freshman at the plate. 

2.  If Herstine can throw like he did a year ago, the 1-4 starters in the pitching staff will be very good.  Unfortunately Herstine's two starts were not what I would call dominant, and certainly well below expectations.  The #2 guy is Tommy Crowl, a lefty.  He throws a lot of strikes, only one walk in his first two appearances.  The #3 guy is a seemingly improved Tyler Nieberding.  His first two outings were much better than what we had seen a year ago from the big right hander.  #4 appears to be freshman Austin Eaton, who threw very well in his first two outings.  He is a 6'6" lefty, who was throwing strikes. 

3.  The bullpen remains an issue.  Although Mitch McNabb was able to provide several quality innings in relief to give Marietta a chance to climb back into the game against Cortland this past Saturday.  There are a couple of freshman who made some positive contributions in relief, but in two of the losses, the bullpen was a significant factor in the decision. 

4.  To start the season, defense has been very inconsistent.  Uncharacteristically of Marietta teams, the defense has not been as sharp as one would expect.  The defense was also a significant factor in the loss to Wabash and Webster over the spring trip. 

6-4 is not the start Marietta fans would like and the record is what it is.  I still think, with my navy blue pinstriped glasses, this team will be in the hunt for a league title come May.

It is nice to see several OAC teams having success early this season. 

There are a couple of good tilts on tap this Saturday, as Otterbein visits Marietta, BW visits Berg, and  JCU visits Mount.  ONU vs Wilmington and Cap and Musky make up the rest of the slate.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 16, 2015, 05:13:47 PM
I'll be very honest, the program that has me concerned right now as a Mount fan is ONU.  I expect Etta to be good every year and contend.  Berg as well to a lesser extent.  I don't want to add any more programs to that pile, but Stechschulte is assembling quite a pitching staff and I don't think any of those kids are even seniors.  I would imagine it's not a bad angle to play with pitching recruits to pull the old "I know a little something about pitching, you know, because I pitched in the Majors."  If he continues to recruit and develop pitching they're going to be good every year.  And with what Harrison has done at BW this is concerning to me as a fan of a team trying to push into that top 4. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2015, 08:35:32 AM
The OAC now has 3 teams ranked in the top 20.  Etta dropped from 16 to 18.  On the flip side two of the biggest moves upward were Berg from ORV to 20 and BW from 17 all the way to 9.  Ott sits at what amounts to 30 and ONU is also receiving votes.  Good start to the season for the OAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 17, 2015, 08:03:21 PM
Berg on way home from FL at 10-1 after concluding suspended game today and then scoring 3 in top of 9 to win the 2nd game 12-10.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 19, 2015, 12:55:43 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 16, 2015, 03:56:04 PM
Herstine pitched against OWU.  Did OK. 

My early season take on the Pioneers.

They are 6-4.  They could have easily been 8-2 or maybe even 9-1.  The only team that really handled them from start to finish was Moravian in the opener.  Cortland jumped out early and got everything they wanted from the Pioneers.  Wabash was handed a win in walk off fashion, and the Bullpen and defense were letdowns against a solid Webster team. 

1.  This pioneer team seems to be a much better hitting team than last year's version (which was one of the worst in the 20+ year I've been watching them.)  They are getting solid contributions from 4 freshman at the plate. 

2.  If Herstine can throw like he did a year ago, the 1-4 starters in the pitching staff will be very good.  Unfortunately Herstine's two starts were not what I would call dominant, and certainly well below expectations.  The #2 guy is Tommy Crowl, a lefty.  He throws a lot of strikes, only one walk in his first two appearances.  The #3 guy is a seemingly improved Tyler Nieberding.  His first two outings were much better than what we had seen a year ago from the big right hander.  #4 appears to be freshman Austin Eaton, who threw very well in his first two outings.  He is a 6'6" lefty, who was throwing strikes. 

3.  The bullpen remains an issue.  Although Mitch McNabb was able to provide several quality innings in relief to give Marietta a chance to climb back into the game against Cortland this past Saturday.  There are a couple of freshman who made some positive contributions in relief, but in two of the losses, the bullpen was a significant factor in the decision. 

4.  To start the season, defense has been very inconsistent.  Uncharacteristically of Marietta teams, the defense has not been as sharp as one would expect.  The defense was also a significant factor in the loss to Wabash and Webster over the spring trip. 

6-4 is not the start Marietta fans would like and the record is what it is.  I still think, with my navy blue pinstriped glasses, this team will be in the hunt for a league title come May.

It is nice to see several OAC teams having success early this season. 

There are a couple of good tilts on tap this Saturday, as Otterbein visits Marietta, BW visits Berg, and  JCU visits Mount.  ONU vs Wilmington and Cap and Musky make up the rest of the slate.


My son was the opposing pitcher in that game. I wish I could have been there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 19, 2015, 08:35:12 PM
Marietta swept La Roche today. Herstine closed game one, and Crowl closed game 2.

Two quality in region wins, and the Pitching is in great shape for the OAC games this weekend.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2015, 07:33:40 PM
Mount squeezed in their home opener today with a single 9 against Pitt-Greensburg.  Good to knock the dust off those bats before JCU shows up tomorrow for a big OAC opener.  Raiders won 6-3 and improve to 8-3 going into OAC play.  The Streaks are 9-3.  I'll be interested to see if Sam Clarke starts tomorrow on the hill.  I've been keeping my fingers crossed that maybe they were just being extra cautious and resting him until OAC play or something.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2015, 07:29:49 AM
BW at Berg is the headliner today.  Those two may very well end up battling to host the OAC tourney so anything other than a split would give somebody a big leg up right out of the gate.

In the other two good tilts I'd have to think Ott and Mount would walk away happy with a split.  A sweep by either one of them would be very surprising and being swept is certainly not out of the question.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2015, 02:16:08 PM
Maddern and Toma are dueling in game 1 in Alliance.  JCU leads 1-0 in the bottom of the 5th.  Each team with 4 hits.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 21, 2015, 03:33:01 PM
Berg wins the 1st vs BW 2-0. Winning pitcher Adam Manner with 7 shutout innings, save by Derek Hendrixson.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2015, 04:11:49 PM
JCU finally got to Toma as they scored 3 in the 6th and Mount continued to be baffled by Maddern all day.  JCU wins 7-1.

Musky beat Cap 11-7 and as expected ONU coasted by Wilm 14-0.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2015, 05:38:44 PM
JCU jumps on top with 3 in the top of the 1st and currently leads Mount 4-0 in the bottom of the 5th.  The Raiders have done very little offensively against Maddern and now Doring in this game.  But it could be worse...BW still hasn't scored today.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2015, 06:19:09 PM
Doring is done after 7. Thankfully.  Mount has only had one man in scoring position since the 2nd and that was with two outs.  Really nice job by Kemp to settle in after giving up 3 in the 1st.  He allowed just a single unearned run over the next 5 IP to keep them in the game. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 21, 2015, 06:28:04 PM
BW got 3 in the 7th of the 2nd game, but Berg still gets the sweep with a 6-3 victory.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2015, 07:57:32 PM
Good sweep for Berg.  ONU swept as well.  Cap came back to get the split against Musky.

Mount needs to get the bats out tomorrow against SJF and get their confidence back.  They got dismantled by JCU pitching today.  18 innings, 18 strikeouts and 1 run.  Get back on track tomorrow and get ready for ONU next weekend.  They've got W&J and Thiel midweek also so plenty of AB's to get going.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2015, 11:13:56 AM
Mount's DH with SJF today has been PPD due to cold.  It's pretty nice in Columbus today (for March).  Definitely nice enough to play.  But it looks like it's only 28 (20 w/ the windchill) in Alliance.  At least I hopefully have Etta to listen to at work today.  That guy that's the voice of the Etta Express is the best. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 22, 2015, 02:33:43 PM
John Carroll vs OWU ppd for cold as well. I had hoped they would just move to Delaware, but that did not occur.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 23, 2015, 03:18:38 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2015, 11:13:56 AM
Mount's DH with SJF today has been PPD due to cold.  It's pretty nice in Columbus today (for March).  Definitely nice enough to play.  But it looks like it's only 28 (20 w/ the windchill) in Alliance.  At least I hopefully have Etta to listen to at work today.  That guy that's the voice of the Etta Express is the best.

another day, another postponed DH.

Warfy is the best.  He's been doing the games for WMOA ever since his Dad passed away, and his voice (and the same commercials) make the broadcasts timeless.  The names change every year, but listening to the games don't...it feels the same now as it has for the last 15 years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2015, 08:18:40 AM
Berg leapfrogs BW in the top 25 this week checking in at 14. BW is 15, Etta 22 and ONU is looming just outside the top 25.  Ott is also receiving some votes.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2015, 08:00:46 PM
Mount drops a 6-5 game at W&J today in the bottom of the 9th.  A couple of base running blunders hurt the Raiders late and cost them 2 runs.  They hit the road again tomorrow to Thiel. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 25, 2015, 07:57:36 PM
Berg scores 3 in bottom of 9th today to beat Adrian 6-5.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 25, 2015, 09:07:31 PM
OWU beats Baldwin Wsllace, 8-4, today at Littick field.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2015, 12:46:42 PM
Mount won at Thiel yesterday 11-9.  Looks like they shook up the lineup a little in these two OOC games.  ONU Saturday is going to be a tall order.  They're pitching really well.

Also, Ott and Etta split the other day.  Powell has to be pleased to get out of there with a split only scoring 3 runs total.  Kemer and Herstine both pitched very well in game 1 which the Cards won 1-0.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 26, 2015, 04:40:37 PM
Dr, I know you posted this on the OAC football board, but did not read back to see any converstion here. I cannot see them Joining the NCAC, What about the OAC or the PAC? What would this mean for D3 baseball.

Canton Rep (http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20150323/SPORTS/150329798/13406/NEWS)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2015, 08:12:09 PM
The only way I could see the OAC being interested in Malone is if someone left and they needed them to get back to 10 members.  Pat mentioned the HCAC as a possibility and I didn't even think of that.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 26, 2015, 09:38:38 PM
Yeah, I have to agree with Pat. That would be a good fit.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2015, 07:23:37 PM
Etta's Ryan Hanahan was 6-6 with 3 doubles and a triple in a 19-1 win over Denison.  Good lord.

As for tomorrow, as of now only Mount @ ONU is still on.  All others are already pushed to Sunday.  Marque match up this weekend is Etta @ BW.  BW needs to snap their 3 game skid after getting swept by Berg and losing to OWU.  Etta followed up their pounding of Denison with a 7-0 loss to W&J yesterday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2015, 02:56:20 PM
Kemp has had an almost identical outing against ONU today as he did against JCU last Saturday.  He stumbled in the 1st allowing 3 runs, but settled in again and has posted 6 straight goose eggs to keep the Raiders in the game. 

Unfortunately, in another case of deja vu the Raider bats are being shut down by Eltzroth.  He's allowed 1 unearned run on 2 hits through 8 dominant IP.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2015, 04:43:52 PM
ONU tacked on 3 insurance runs late and won 6-1.

Mount leads game 2 in the 3rd 4-3. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2015, 08:44:00 PM
Mount holds off ONU 5-4 to get a big road split.  Just like last year the Raiders' schedule is front loaded.  They needed to escape Ada with a win and they did.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2015, 03:08:50 PM
Boy, there's some interesting stuff going on today.

First off, Etta is hammering BW 10-1 in game 1.  They scored 6 in the first and haven't looked back.

Berg and Musky are scoreless going to the 10th. 

But the surprise of the day is Wilm and JCU knotted 5-5 in the 8th.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2015, 03:54:09 PM
JCU and Berg both escape near upsets from the bottom dwellers.  Musky lets the leadoff man reach on an E3 and he comes around to score the game's only run in the 12th.  Crushing loss after Barker gave the Fish 10 shutout innings.  You can't waste that start.  Have to find a way to push across a run and get a huge win at home.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2015, 02:57:39 PM
Yesterday went pretty much as most would have predicted...Berg, JCU and Ott all swept.  BW and Etta split.  Nothing there that's newsworthy.  Just kind of keeping up the status quo.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on March 30, 2015, 08:45:39 PM
Dr, as long as it isn't freezing I am going to Alliance to watch Berg play Mount on Friday. Really missed not going to FL this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2015, 08:40:23 AM
I am assuming Musky receiving 16 votes in the top 25 poll this week is a typo.  Either that or they beat the Reds and I just missed it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2015, 08:43:38 AM
Quote from: motorman on March 30, 2015, 08:45:39 PM
Dr, as long as it isn't freezing I am going to Alliance to watch Berg play Mount on Friday. Really missed not going to FL this year.

I think the temp is supposed to be pretty good at the end of the week. No idea about rain though.  And a trip to Alliance is hardly a fair trade for FL!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on March 31, 2015, 02:58:56 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2015, 08:40:23 AM
I am assuming Musky receiving 16 votes in the top 25 poll this week is a typo.  Either that or they beat the Reds and I just missed it.

Indeed it was a typo.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sir Battlescars on April 01, 2015, 12:29:41 PM
An impressive showing for the OAC in this week's top 25 poll, 3 in the top 25 and 3 more receiving votes.

It's hard to believe that the day has come where the OAC has three in the top 25 none are named Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2015, 01:01:42 PM
The OAC is very competitive right now.  And with the quality of the coaches in the conference it probably will continue to be until there's a shake up.  It's a lot of fun as a fan.

Another thing that shouldn't be glossed over is that the new blood in Tiffin seems to be re-energizing the program.  Berg is 16-1 with a good chance of being 19-1, 6-0 at Easter.  Pretty impressive start for Fitzgerald.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 01, 2015, 03:55:37 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2015, 01:01:42 PM
The OAC is very competitive right now.  And with the quality of the coaches in the conference it probably will continue to be until there's a shake up.  It's a lot of fun as a fan.

Another thing that shouldn't be glossed over is that the new blood in Tiffin seems to be re-energizing the program.  Berg is 16-1 with a good chance of being 19-1, 6-0 at Easter.  Pretty impressive start for Fitzgerald.
Don't know that I would call or re-energizing so much as keeping the ball rolling. At this point last year Berg was 14-3 and ranked #23. Only lost 3 position players and 1 pitcher to graduation.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2015, 04:25:07 PM
I certainly didn't mean that they had fallen apart.  I just meant it as a compliment to Fitzgerald considering how the last couple weeks of the 2014 season went.  Not exactly heading into the off season with positive momentum.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 01, 2015, 09:39:48 PM
Both Berg and Marietta laid their Easter eggs early today. Each gave up 19 or more runs in losses. Guess we will have to blame it on the nearly full moon.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 01, 2015, 10:18:07 PM
Yeah I was at the Heidelberg game. But I am not sure lsid sn egg is totaly appropriate.  Give dome credit to their opponents.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 02, 2015, 03:39:52 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on April 01, 2015, 10:18:07 PM
Yeah I was at the Heidelberg game. But I am not sure lsid sn egg is totaly appropriate.  Give dome credit to their opponents.

I didn't say OWU didn't deserve to have won, but when a team has only committed 17 errors in 17 previous games, then commits 5 in one game they certainly didn't play their best game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 02, 2015, 04:37:10 PM
I agree it was not their best game, I did not take offense either. I always appreciate your viewpoint motorman.
By the way how is your wife, I have not seen her post for a while over at that other board. I hope your son is also doing well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 02, 2015, 04:38:08 PM
I know that Murray field is a tough place for any team to play. It can be an absolute launching pad. Wooster has a definite home field advantage.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2015, 08:18:11 AM
As of now only ONU at JCU is on for today.  The other games are all tomorrow now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 03, 2015, 09:30:16 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2015, 08:18:11 AM
As of now only ONU at JCU is on for today.  The other games are all tomorrow now.
Figured this would happen. Usually does when I take a vacation day to go to a game, it rains!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 03, 2015, 12:54:21 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on April 02, 2015, 04:37:10 PM
I agree it was not their best game, I did not take offense either. I always appreciate your viewpoint motorman.
By the way how is your wife, I have not seen her post for a while over at that other board. I hope your son is also doing well.

Family is all doing well. My wife said she just hasn't had anything to post about. My son is gearing up for an upcoming tryout in the Frontier League and trying to find enough work to keep paying his student loans in the meantime.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 03, 2015, 03:30:53 PM
Good luck to your son. Tell your wife that BLD says hello.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 03, 2015, 11:21:54 PM
Berg and Mount postponed until Monday. Guess I'm not going to Alliance after all.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 04, 2015, 04:10:43 PM
Muskies and Marietta have a marathon going. 1-1 in the 15th inning of the first game. The Barker kid for the Muskies must be pretty good. 10 shutout innings vs Heidelberg and now 11 innings and only 1 run vs Marietta.
Muskingum won the marathon with a run in the bottom of the 15th, 2-1
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2015, 05:10:23 PM
Eltzroth goes to 6-0 with another strong start (7 IP, 1 ER, 6 K) for ONU.  They beat JCU 7-3 in game 1 and lead game 2 in the 4th 5-2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2015, 05:12:47 PM
Quote from: motorman on April 04, 2015, 04:10:43 PM
Muskies and Marietta have a marathon going. 1-1 in the 15th inning of the first game. The Barker kid for the Muskies must be pretty good. 10 shutout innings vs Heidelberg and now 11 innings and only 1 run vs Marietta.
Muskingum won the marathon with a run in the bottom of the 15th, 2-1

I could be wrong, but isn't there a fairly pronounced drop off after Herstine?  If so, I certainly would have been tempted to not throw Barker opposite Herstine if I'm Gregg Thompson.  They almost wasted a second straight amazing start because they couldn't hit the other team's ace at all.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2015, 08:37:28 PM
Couple of splits today.  Good job by JCU coming back to earn the split with an 11-5 win.  ONU seems to be struggling to find consistent starting pitching behind Eltzroth.  Crabtree started the second game against Mount and only lasted 1.1 IP. Carr threw 7 sparkling innings of relief that game so he gets the start in the second game today and pitches okay (10 hits in 4.1 IP isn't great). 

Obviously the news of the day is Musky sneaking out a split with Etta.  Long way to go, but at 3-3 I'll admit I'm surprised.  With Ott, BW and Musky I was expecting 5-1 from the Pios.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2015, 11:04:12 PM
Etta drops a 7-6 decision at Frostburg.  That would have been a nice win for the Pios with Frostburg being 21-3 and ranked pretty high.  I don't know anything about Frostburg but they threw a kid who is 6-0 for 8 innings. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 05, 2015, 11:31:41 PM
One of Frostburgs players, was at OWU, his freshman year. He left after getting a good bit of pitching time, because he wanted to be a two way player and thought he would be at Frostburg. Long story short, he is still  a P.O. And not getting too may innings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 06, 2015, 04:52:23 PM
Berg beats Mount 11-3 in game one behind homers from Morse, Monroe, and Harkness. Adam Manner goes to 3-0.

Mount wins the 2nd game 15-7.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2015, 09:05:23 PM
That's a good split for Mount.  Definitely a "leg up" game I'd think when it comes to that race for the last OAC tourney spots.  If they can figure out a way to split at Etta Wednesday they're not in bad shape with splits against Berg, ONU and Etta.  Need to keep hitting like they did in the 2nd game today because the #3 and 4 guys are going to need some run support.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2015, 07:45:14 AM
More postponements are setting it up to be a very crazy week.  We're now looking at 6 conference games in 5 days including the NCAC-esque back-to-back DH this weekend.  The interesting thing will be who comes back on short rest to start Tuesday after starting Friday.

The toughest path is going to be JCU who has BW Friday, Ott Saturday and Berg Tuesday.  That's rough.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 09, 2015, 11:03:02 AM
A lot like 2013 when Berg played 3 conference DHs in 4 days. They played at ONU on Sunday, at Marietta on Mon, home for BW Wed then vs Mount on Sat to make 8 games in 6 days. They managed to go 5-3 through that but finished 2-7 in that frustrating 20-20 season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2015, 08:00:08 AM
Mount at Etta now pushed back to Sunday.  Kinda expected that after what I just drove through on my way to work.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on April 10, 2015, 10:53:50 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2015, 08:00:08 AM
Mount at Etta now pushed back to Sunday.  Kinda expected that after what I just drove through on my way to work.

Drat!!!  That means CWRU @ Etta is off.  CWRU game earlier this week vs Heidelberg was a weather casualty, too.  Spartans need games vs RROs to have a chance at post-season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 10, 2015, 11:01:48 AM
They can always schedule OWU, We have some Games we still need to get in. If we keep playing how we are we may end up regionally Ranked. We will know more about were we are after this weekend. If we get the games in.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on April 10, 2015, 05:44:11 PM
Capital took the first game from Heidelberg 17-12 in Tiffin.  Big win for the Crusaders.  The Berg currently leading the second game 6-0 in bottom of the 4th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 10, 2015, 05:48:26 PM
Wow
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2015, 06:42:12 PM
Whoah.  20 hits too.  Man.  I'll tell you this much...I'm not sure at this moment who has more than one or two consistent, quality arms.  There are a lot of teams who have no idea what they're getting beyond their #1 starter.  And I include Mount at the top of that list.  Beyond Toma I have no clue what they're gonna get from game to game.  Even Berg and Etta appear to be in that boat so far.  ONU too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2015, 03:36:29 PM
Kemp didn't allow a hit until the 5th as Mount takes game 1 from Cap 11-7.  Not sure how well Cap is set up for today after Berg, but Mount will have all their pitching available today.

ONU finds a way to score runs on Barker and beats Musky 8-4.  Eltzroth did not pitch this game for ONU. 

JCU stays in 1st place taking their opener with Ott 12-5.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2015, 06:30:43 PM
Doring is dominating Ott in game 2.  14 strikeouts so far and JCU leads 11-1.

ONU and Mount both swept. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 11, 2015, 09:43:04 PM
Berg and Marietta split. Berg beat Herstine behind a 3 run homer by Christian Verde and Etta wins the 2nd game 13-7.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on April 12, 2015, 11:23:49 AM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on April 10, 2015, 11:01:48 AM
They can always schedule OWU, We have some Games we still need to get in. If we keep playing how we are we may end up regionally Ranked. We will know more about were we are after this weekend. If we get the games in.

Spartans already have 14 games set over next 16 days, so no real opportunity.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2015, 07:27:00 PM
Ouch.  Mount blows a 6 run lead in game 1 at Etta.  2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, no one on base and a 2 run lead and they lose the game. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 12, 2015, 08:43:28 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2015, 07:27:00 PM
Ouch.  Mount blows a 6 run lead in game 1 at Etta.  2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, no one on base and a 2 run lead and they lose the game.

Could be a tough ride home unless they figure out a way to return the favor in game 2....they trail 12-2 in the fourth.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2015, 09:27:40 PM
I don't have high confidence in that happening.  Etta is really hitting the ball well and Mount doesn't exactly have a lot of pitching depth.  During the game the guys on the radio said Brewer said that first game is a turning point in your season win.  I just hope for Mount the same isn't true in the opposite direction. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2015, 11:05:21 PM
The trip to the river is finally mercifully over.  Etta wins game 2 18-5.  Mount's pitching stats are just plain ugly right now.  Outside of Toma no one else in the rotation has an ERA under 6.00 or a WHIP under 1.50.  The team ERA is 5.80. 

I'm not going to jump on Chase for having the blown save in game 1 because he's been so good and just reliable all year that it's just one of those things.  Even Andy Lowe blew saves so I can live with that.  It's just baseball.  You trot out enough times in those situations and eventually you leave one up in the zone or whatever.  Chase has done a heck of a job.

The thing that I continue to wonder is what team has more than one consistent, front of the rotation starter?  I think JCU probably has the best case.  Maybe?  The way things have gone so far I'll say this...the OAC tournament could be very interesting after day 1. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 14, 2015, 06:37:08 AM
JCU now #24 in poll, makes 4 OAC teams in the top 25.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sir Battlescars on April 14, 2015, 03:57:03 PM
Really nice to see 4 OAC teams in the top 25.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 14, 2015, 03:58:36 PM
ONU and Berg won 1st games today, currently a 3 way tie for 1st with JCU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sir Battlescars on April 14, 2015, 04:00:35 PM
Hendrixson pitches a gem in the 1st game today for the Berg.

Heidelberg 6 - JCU 0 in game one.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 14, 2015, 05:50:36 PM
Quote from: Sir Battlescars on April 14, 2015, 04:00:35 PM
Hendrixson pitches a gem in the 1st game today for the Berg.

Heidelberg 6 - JCU 0 in game one.

It was a very good game but don't think I'd call it a gem. 7 hits aren't a gem in my book.

The newbie for Marietta also threw a complete game shutout vs Cap with only 3 hits and 1 walk.
Berg romping 16-2 in the bottom of 6th in the 2nd game at JCU. Put up a 10 spot in the 6th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2015, 01:02:56 AM
Mount sets a school record for runs in an OAC DH in New Concord beating Musky 20-6 and 18-0.  Catcher James Weber was 7-7 with a HR, 2B and 8 RBI.

Somewhat interestingly Kemp and Toma started today (they just started Saturday).  Toma went 5 shutout innings today to pick up his 7th W.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 15, 2015, 08:47:49 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2015, 01:02:56 AM
Mount sets a school record for runs in an OAC DH in New Concord beating Musky 20-6 and 18-0.  Catcher James Weber was 7-7 with a HR, 2B and 8 RBI.

Somewhat interestingly Kemp and Toma started today (they just started Saturday).  Toma went 5 shutout innings today to pick up his 7th W.

I am really glad nobody else did that. I was afraid Berg might try it with Adam Manner. I believe there should be a rule that any pitcher who throws 5 or more innings should have at least 3 off days between starts. Players are always going to want to go. There needs to some responsible adult who says that is too much too soon. Since coaches are trying to keep their jobs, it has to be taken out of their hands.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 16, 2015, 09:22:54 AM
I should have noted that Kemp only threw a couple innings.  Saying he started probably gives the impression that he threw 5+ innings.  Unfortunately I didn't see the pitch counts listed in the box score.  I'm more interested in that number than IP.  A kid like Toma doesn't strike out a lot of guys and walks less than a batter per start so he can get through innings efficiently.  If he threw, say, 75 pitches Saturday and then came back a couple days later and threw 50?  I'm okay with that if he feels fine.     

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on April 16, 2015, 10:08:03 AM
For the midweek games, Ohio Wesleyan usually starts a long reliever for 4 or 5 innings, Then gives one or two innings a piece to either Saturdays or Sundays starters.
In New Concord last night. Long reliever,Brett Kiser started and went 4 innings, Long reliever Pat Fraley pitched 2 innings. Saturday Starter Kevin Zullo pitched two. Saturday Starter Charles cooper was scheduled for the ninth but ended up pitching the 10th as well.

I do not know about the other pitchers but I know that Cooper threw less than 100 pitches last Saturday and then 22 last night.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 16, 2015, 01:20:58 PM
^^^^^  that is pretty standard, as the weekend starters would be normally throwing a mid-week bullpen session anyways.  They are just getting their work in during a live game.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 16, 2015, 03:37:24 PM
I fully understood a Sat starter throwing an inning or two in a mid week game between starts. I was concerned about kids pitching 5+ innings on Sat and then starting and going 5+ innings again on Tuesday. Mount's starters were the only Sat starters to start on only 2 days rest.

Was interesting that of the 5 pitchers Berg started Fri, Sat and Tues only the freshman Ankrom started twice and that was on 3 days rest after starting Fri.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 18, 2015, 01:45:21 PM
Thought ONU vs Marietta would be a good match up but Eltzroth getting bombed. Marietta up 7-0 in the 3rd.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 18, 2015, 03:47:31 PM
BW comes back with 2 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th to beat Mount 7-6.  Can't keep losing games like this if you want any shot at the top 4.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 18, 2015, 05:04:17 PM
JCU drove to Columbus to play Cap.  Games were PPD to tomorrow. It's 75 and sunny here.  Problem is it turns out it's tough to play when no umps have been assigned to the game.  What a joke.  Now they're playing tomorrow at JCU instead.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 19, 2015, 02:45:44 PM
JCU wins 1st game over Cap 3-2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 20, 2015, 11:57:54 AM
One thing that shouldn't go without mention from the weekend is Hendrixson's absolutely spectacular start for the Berg against Wilm.  He took a perfect game into the 8th before giving up a single and ending up with a line of 8 IP, 1 H, 10 K, 0 BB.  Hendrixson is making a strong case for the Tekulve Award.  I would say he and Doring are the best bets as of today.

JCU ended up sweeping Cap to remain a game back of Berg, but by virtue of their sweep of JCU I guess Berg is effectively 2 games up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 21, 2015, 01:56:09 PM
fight to the finish for the last few spots in the OAC tournament....

(11-3) HEID - (@OTT, vsONU)
(10-4) JCU - (vsMAR, @MUSK)
(9-5)  ONU - (vsCAP, @HEID)
(9-5)  OTT - (vsHEID, @MOUNT)
(9-5)  MAR - (@JCU, vsWILM)
(8-6)  B-W - (vs MUSK, @CAP)
(6-8)  MOUNT
(4-10) CAP
(4-10) MUSK
(0-14) WILM


If Heidelberg is going to host the tournament, they are going to earn it...a tough final 2 series.  B-W has a great shot to win out, and make a push for one of the four spots.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 21, 2015, 05:06:06 PM
It certainly looks like there's a good chance there's going to be a traffic jam around that 12-6 mark.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 26, 2015, 03:27:39 PM
Mount lost yesterday.  At home. To Hiram.  They committed 5 errors leading to 8 unearned runs in a 9-7 loss.  Their DH with Wilm was PPD to Monday.  I looked and Wilm is hitting .162 as a team in OAC play.  Hopefully that will allow Toma to get his 8th win.  He's been one of the few bright spots this season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 26, 2015, 03:53:12 PM
Berg just closed out a 9-6 win in the first game at Otterbein. One more win guarantees the OAC Tournament won't be in Marietta this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 26, 2015, 08:04:08 PM
Heidelberg clinched a tie for the OAC championship with an 18-3 victory in the nightcap over Otterbein. Think the tournament will either be in Tiffin with at least a split vs ONU or in Ada if they sweep Berg next week, not sure who wins a 3 way tie.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 27, 2015, 09:28:10 AM
Tounament scenarios as I understand them. 

For top seed.

Berg clinches top seed wit a win against ONU on Saturday.

If ONU sweeps (assuming JCU also sweeps), that would force a thee way tie.  JCU would still be out.  According to page 5 of the handbook http://www.oac.org/information/Handbook/Sports_Guideline/BASEBALL_-updated_-10-22-14-.pdf (http://www.oac.org/information/Handbook/Sports_Guideline/BASEBALL_-updated_-10-22-14-.pdf).

ONU would be 3-1 in those four games,
Berg would be 2-2 in those four games,
and JCU would be 1-3 in those four games. 

So an ONU sweep means ONU is the top seed, Berg, 2, and JCU the third. 

The other spots....

We will assume for a moment that JCU will sweep Muskingum (in New Concord), Marietta will sweep Wilmington (in Marietta), and BW will sweep Capital (in bexley).

How does the ONU vs Berg Series impact the playoff picture?

ONU sweeps Berg (see above)

1.  ONU 13-5
2.  Berg 13-5
3.  JCU 13-5
4.  MAR 12-6
4.  BW.  12-6

In this situation, Marietta wins the two team tiebreaker with BW by virtue of Marietta's split against Berg, and Berg's sweeping BW.  Both Marietta and BW split with Northern.

ONU and Berg Split.

1.  Berg 14-4
2.  JCU 13-5
3.  MAR 12-6
3.  ONU 12-6
3.  BW 12-6

Marietta, ONU and BW all split with each other, so they are all 2-2 in the scenario mentioned in item 3 on page 5 of the handbook. 

So the next tiebreaker is run differential in OAC games (with a max of 7 runs considered).  Through the games played as of Sunday, the average run differential for the three tied teams is as follows:

1.  Marietta 2.69
2.  ONU 1.5
3.  BW 1.0

So the tournament would likely be 1. Berg vs 4. ONU, 2. JCU vs. 3. Mar.

By the way, the score differential margin is RAZOR thin, especially between ONU and BW.  The results from this weekend will have a significant impact on this metric between BW and ONU.

Berg sweeps ONU

1.  Berg  15-3
2.  JCU  13-5
3.  MAR 12-6
3.  BW 12-6

5.  ONU 11-7

As Mentioned before, according to item 2, Marietta wins the tie breaker with BW. 

Now if JCU gacks one against Muskingum and BW and Marietta both win their two this weekend....

IF ONU wins 1, it forces a four way tie for 2nd.  BW, MAR, JCU, and ONU all split with each other and would be 3-3 in the four team pool.  Run differentials look like this (so far).

MAR 2.69
JCU  1.59
ONU 1.5
BW 1.0

SO the seeding then becomes...

1. Berg vs. 4 ONU, 2. MAR vs. 3. JCU  5.  BW

if ONU sweeps Berg, it goes like this...

1.  ONU vs. 4 JCU, 2. Berg vs. 3. MAR.

If Berg sweeps ONU, it goes like this:

1.  Berg, 2. MAR, 3.  JCU, 4. BW.

If EITHER BW or MAR split this weekend....

If BW splits, they HAVE to hope for a BERG sweep over ONU on Saturday....

BW would have the two team  tie breaker over ONU, by virtue of BW's sweep of Mount (ONU Split). 

If MAR splits, they have to hope either BW also splits or Berg sweeps ONU. 

MAR would have the two team tie breaker over ONU, by virtue of MAR's split with Berg.  Marietta has the two team tie breaker over BW. 


It is all as clear as mud right....

So here is what you are cheering for if you are fan of one of these five teams....

1.  Berg.  Win one and host.  It is that simple,  You are in the tournament no matter what.
2.  ONU.  Don't get swept.  Being swept is all kinds of bad and it sends you home.
3.  JCU.  Win two and keep your seed higher.  You can't claim the top spot, so you are playing for a seed.
4.  MAR.  Win two and you are in the tournament....To be sure, win big over a bad Wilmington squad.
5.  BW Win two, run it up if you can, and hope for some help from Heidelberg (at least one win, preferably two)

The run differential difference between BW and ONU is razor thin right now, the scores from the weekend's games can have an impact on the outcome.

Disclaimer:  This is computed based on how I interpret the handbook (linked above).  It is not official, and it might be incorrect.  There are probably some unlikely scenarios not considered (like Wilmington sweeping Marietta for example).  IN any event, the playoff chase is a hot mess.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 27, 2015, 10:42:32 AM
^^^^. Great job on the breakdown!!  +1

It's been quite awhile since the 4 tourney spots were so up for grabs on thea
Last weekend; should be fun!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 27, 2015, 10:56:34 AM
ONU is in a really tough spot, IMO.  Even if they split, they could end up being eliminated from the conference tournament based on run differential.  So if they lose one, hope that it is a 1 run game, and then win by a bigger number. If they lose by one and win by 7+, BW could still catch them.  Best case scenario for Northern is to win two.  It is the only way they guarantee themselves a spot. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 27, 2015, 03:20:24 PM
Wow, great work EttaFan1.  +k for sure

Mount holds on for dear life and wins game 1 over Wilm 3-2.  Quakers had the bases loaded with 1 out down 3-1 in the 9th, but Mount got a fly out and strikeout to seal the win.  Toma picked up his 8th win going 8 strong innings allowing one run.  He is quietly putting together a really strong season as he now sits at 8-1 with an ERA right around 3.00.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 27, 2015, 06:54:26 PM
Heidelberg lost to a mediocre Albion from the MIAA 8-7 today. This team is a lot like Marietta from last year. They may win the regular season title, but with only 2 pitchers I don't see how they manage to win the tournament or go very far at regionals if they get that far. If their 2 dependable pitchers don't throw complete games, even their starts will be difficult to come away with good results.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 28, 2015, 07:00:36 AM
That's why I said the OAC tournament is going to be interesting.  I don't think anyone really has more than 2 reliable pitchers.  JCU arguably has 3, but there are definitely no dominant staffs this season.  Not even close.

And beyond that, when we look at the regional you can add Wooster to that list too.  Their pitching is shaky too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 28, 2015, 08:53:47 AM
IF there is anything to be learned from Marietta's success in 2011 and 2012 is that you better have three quality starters in your rotation and a strong bullpen.  I haven't seen more than 1-2 quality starters on any OAC team this year.  At times Marietta's #2 throws pretty well, at times not.  JCU probably has the deepest pitching staff with Doring, Maddern, and Lapaglia.  Heidelberg, if they would regularly use Hendrixson as a starter, would have two very good arms in their rotation.  Marietta has Herstine and sometimes someone else throws very well, and sometimes they don't.  I actually thought BW's staff, with Waite returning, would be much better than they are.  Waite has struggled this year.  He was dominant a year ago, this year not so much.  Otterbein's top guy is hurt.  Eltzroth came into the DH with Marietta with impressive numbers and got shelled.  Even Herstine has struggled at times during the year.

I'm left to wonder if you can assign the change in the ball (flat seams) as the reason why pitching has been somewhat disappointing this season.  I think of a guy like Waite and how good he was last year and all of the sudden he has a 6+ ERA.  Perhaps it is harder to throw an effective breaking pitch.  Some guys still do, and they are the ones who are still throwing very well.  But there are some who haven't adapted as well.  So when you don't have three or four guys with plus fastballs, your staff is going to stuggle. 

This is just purely observational and not necessarily a complaint, per se (because if there is anything all fans can agree on it is the gentleman who adjudicate the strike zone),  but I offer it for discussion.  Has the enforcement of the strike zone changed or been emphasized a different way?  Has there been an emphasis on the strike zone to the point where it is a little "tighter" than it has been in the past few years?  Less "extended" black on either side of the plate, a preference for higher strikes, etc?  The reason I put this out for discussion is this.  Marietta's philosophy has been pretty consistent the past few years.   It seems like some of those pitches which would have been strikes in the past few years are not this year.

Just some thoughts.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2015, 11:53:52 AM
Since there is a chance this could happen...has it ever happened before that a team doesn't even make the OAC tournament, but gets an at-large bid?  If BW sweeps Cap Saturday they'd be 30-8 and ranked regionally (and in the top 10 nationally in the poll), but could be left out of the OAC tournament via tiebreaker at 12-6.  I think their resume gets them into a regional, but I would think that's quite a rarity to do so in a year you don't even finish in the top 4 in the OAC.

 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 30, 2015, 02:13:28 PM
Don't know about this.  I suppose it has happened, but how recently I don't know. 

Personally I think BW is going to be in the OAC tournament.  I think the run differential situation for them is very favorable if they win both games.  The math would not work particularly well for ONU if they split games with Heidelberg.  By my unofficial calculations, if BW and ONU end up tied (meaning ONU Splits).  The "magic" run differential number for BW over Capital is +6 to tie and +7 to break the tie.  In other words, if ONU splits a pair of 1 run games (run differential of zero), BW needs to beat cap twice by a combined 6 runs to go to the next tie breaker (vote of coaches I believe), and 7 to break the tie.  Remember the MAXIMUM margin considered is 7 runs, so a 10 run margin only counts as a differential of 7.   A bad situation for ONU would be to lose the first game by 7+ and then win by 1.  That's a differential of -6, now BW only has to win a pair of 1 run games to break the tie. 

ONU Splits and the combined margin is.....                               BW must win two games by a combined margin of.....
-6  (1 run win, 7 run loss)                                                        2
-5                                                                                          2
-4                                                                                          3
-3                                                                                          4
-2                                                                                          5
-1                                                                                          6
0                                                                                            7
1                                                                                            8  (There are combinations to get to 8 runs, but remember a 14 run win and a 1 run win is still 7+1)
2                                                                                            9 
3                                                                                            10                                                                                             
4                                                                                            11
5                                                                                            12 
6 (7 run win, 1 run loss)                                                           13 

Then ask yourself the same question with respect to ONU.  Do they have a good enough resume to get an at large bid if they don't make the OAC tournament?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 30, 2015, 05:20:02 PM
I doubt that it has happened. Last year was unusual in that 3 OAC teams got at large bids (all of whom made the tournament), so I doubt there has been a year that a team didn't make the tournament and had a good enough resume to get an at large bid.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 01, 2015, 08:21:09 AM
Based on where they are currently ranked (#2) in the regional rankings AND that their SOS is really good (#20), BW is a mortal lock to make the NCAA tournament field even if they don't make the OAC playoffs. I really think the OAC gets 4 teams in again this year.  They should be 29-8 after today when they sweep Capital. 

I think Berg is a lock as well. 

I think two of the remaining three will make it between JCU, Marietta and Northern.  Northern's games against Berg on Saturday are big for a host of reasons.  I think they need to win at least one to help their regional resume (SOS is 111, fwiw).   JCU's SOS is 29th and Marietta's is 4th .  Just my opinion. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 01, 2015, 09:30:43 AM
BW beat Pitt-Bradford yesterday to get to 29-8 so a sweep today puts them at a very strong 31-8.  I agree, I think Berg and BW are locks for at-large bids regardless of how the OAC tournament plays out.

I would love to see as many OAC teams get in as possible so once the OAC tourney field is set my rooting interests will align with getting as many OAC teams in as possible.  Sorry motorman, but that probably means I need to root against Berg!  We need Etta or JCU to win the tourney probably.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 01, 2015, 09:57:20 AM
Berg rebounded yesterday with a 12-9 win over LaRoche. Wonder how they address the games against ONU when they only have to win 1 to clinch hosting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ImpartialObserver on May 01, 2015, 11:53:45 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on April 27, 2015, 09:28:10 AM
Tounament scenarios as I understand them. 

For top seed.

Berg clinches top seed wit a win against ONU on Saturday.

If ONU sweeps (assuming JCU also sweeps), that would force a thee way tie.  JCU would still be out.  According to page 5 of the handbook http://www.oac.org/information/Handbook/Sports_Guideline/BASEBALL_-updated_-10-22-14-.pdf (http://www.oac.org/information/Handbook/Sports_Guideline/BASEBALL_-updated_-10-22-14-.pdf).

ONU would be 3-1 in those four games,
Berg would be 2-2 in those four games,
and JCU would be 1-3 in those four games. 

So an ONU sweep means ONU is the top seed, Berg, 2, and JCU the third. 

The other spots....

We will assume for a moment that JCU will sweep Muskingum (in New Concord), Marietta will sweep Wilmington (in Marietta), and BW will sweep Capital (in bexley).

How does the ONU vs Berg Series impact the playoff picture?

ONU sweeps Berg (see above)

1.  ONU 13-5
2.  Berg 13-5
3.  JCU 13-5
4.  MAR 12-6
4.  BW.  12-6

In this situation, Marietta wins the two team tiebreaker with BW by virtue of Marietta's split against Berg, and Berg's sweeping BW.  Both Marietta and BW split with Northern.

ONU and Berg Split.

1.  Berg 14-4
2.  JCU 13-5
3.  MAR 12-6
3.  ONU 12-6
3.  BW 12-6

Marietta, ONU and BW all split with each other, so they are all 2-2 in the scenario mentioned in item 3 on page 5 of the handbook. 

So the next tiebreaker is run differential in OAC games (with a max of 7 runs considered).  Through the games played as of Sunday, the average run differential for the three tied teams is as follows:

1.  Marietta 2.69
2.  ONU 1.5
3.  BW 1.0

So the tournament would likely be 1. Berg vs 4. ONU, 2. JCU vs. 3. Mar.

By the way, the score differential margin is RAZOR thin, especially between ONU and BW.  The results from this weekend will have a significant impact on this metric between BW and ONU.

Berg sweeps ONU

1.  Berg  15-3
2.  JCU  13-5
3.  MAR 12-6
3.  BW 12-6

5.  ONU 11-7

As Mentioned before, according to item 2, Marietta wins the tie breaker with BW. 

Now if JCU gacks one against Muskingum and BW and Marietta both win their two this weekend....

IF ONU wins 1, it forces a four way tie for 2nd.  BW, MAR, JCU, and ONU all split with each other and would be 3-3 in the four team pool.  Run differentials look like this (so far).

MAR 2.69
JCU  1.59
ONU 1.5
BW 1.0

SO the seeding then becomes...

1. Berg vs. 4 ONU, 2. MAR vs. 3. JCU  5.  BW

if ONU sweeps Berg, it goes like this...

1.  ONU vs. 4 JCU, 2. Berg vs. 3. MAR.

If Berg sweeps ONU, it goes like this:

1.  Berg, 2. MAR, 3.  JCU, 4. BW.

If EITHER BW or MAR split this weekend....

If BW splits, they HAVE to hope for a BERG sweep over ONU on Saturday....

BW would have the two team  tie breaker over ONU, by virtue of BW's sweep of Mount (ONU Split). 

If MAR splits, they have to hope either BW also splits or Berg sweeps ONU. 

MAR would have the two team tie breaker over ONU, by virtue of MAR's split with Berg.  Marietta has the two team tie breaker over BW. 


It is all as clear as mud right....

So here is what you are cheering for if you are fan of one of these five teams....

1.  Berg.  Win one and host.  It is that simple,  You are in the tournament no matter what.
2.  ONU.  Don't get swept.  Being swept is all kinds of bad and it sends you home.
3.  JCU.  Win two and keep your seed higher.  You can't claim the top spot, so you are playing for a seed.
4.  MAR.  Win two and you are in the tournament....To be sure, win big over a bad Wilmington squad.
5.  BW Win two, run it up if you can, and hope for some help from Heidelberg (at least one win, preferably two)

The run differential difference between BW and ONU is razor thin right now, the scores from the weekend's games can have an impact on the outcome.

Disclaimer:  This is computed based on how I interpret the handbook (linked above).  It is not official, and it might be incorrect.  There are probably some unlikely scenarios not considered (like Wilmington sweeping Marietta for example).  IN any event, the playoff chase is a hot mess.

As stated in the OAC manual, the second tie breaker is how the tied teams fared against the top team and works its way down until the tie is broken. In the case of an ONU split with Heidelberg, ONU would win the tie breaker with BW because ONU would be 1-1 against Berg and BW would be 0-2. Run differential is the 5th tie breaker and would not need to be considered in this situation. I appreciate all the work EttaFan did to calculate the run differentials but it won't come into play. 

If ONU splits with Heidelberg, BW would be out and ONU would be the 4 seed.

Last season ONU was tied with BW for the 4th spot in the OAC tournament. ONU went 0-2 against Marietta and BW split which gave BW the tiebreaker. ONU wasn't given an at large bid on the sole reason that they didn't make the conference tournament. ONU was in the regional rankings the week of the conference tournament and dropped out of the regional rankings without playing a game the next week. If BW ends up out of the OAC tournament this year the same thing will be the case.

I do not believe this should be the case, but a precedent was set last year. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 01, 2015, 01:38:38 PM
Wow....It is like I was looking for the curve ball and the guy threw the heater right past me. 

My bad.  You are absolutely right, I overthought it and missed the obvious.




Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on May 01, 2015, 03:04:40 PM
It will also depend on if Wooster wins the NCAC tournament.  If another team gets the NCAC automatic bid, then Wooster is thrown in to that same conversation and muddies the waters even more.  Wooster lost to ONU and BW, but have victories against JCU, Berg, and Marietta.  It is probably difficult for most OAC fans to root for Wooster, but them winning the NCAC tournament would be best for the teams in the OAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 02, 2015, 08:00:26 AM
Quote from: Pops33 on May 01, 2015, 03:04:40 PM
It will also depend on if Wooster wins the NCAC tournament.  If another team gets the NCAC automatic bid, then Wooster is thrown in to that same conversation and muddies the waters even more.  Wooster lost to ONU and BW, but have victories against JCU, Berg, and Marietta.  It is probably difficult for most OAC fans to root for Wooster, but them winning the NCAC tournament would be best for the teams in the OAC.

That may have been the case in years past, but the committe these days isn't afraid to ship teams to other regionals. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 02, 2015, 02:17:21 PM
Berg up 4-0 after 6 behind a dominant performance by Adam Manner and an inside the park home run by Derek Hug.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 02, 2015, 03:02:08 PM
The OAC Tournament will be in Tiffin after an 8-1 victory over ONU. Adam Manner throws a comets game, losing the shut out on a solo homer in the 9th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 02, 2015, 07:26:19 PM
Up 15-5 after 7, Mount loses the lead and trails 16-15 headed to the bottom of the 9th.  They get a 2 out triple to score a pair and walk off with the sweep.  Had to have been a fun way to end the season.

Toma was great against Ott in game 1 going 7.2 IP in the 5-1 win.  He finishes 9-1 with a 2.86 ERA.   Great season for the junior.

Raiders finished 22-14, 10-8.  Honestly, with Clarke pitching 1 inning and Ceriani none I am proud of how they played.  The only DH they were overmatched was JCU and that was the opener.  They were right there with anyone in the conference and that impresses me given what they graduated and the injuries.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 02, 2015, 09:43:31 PM
Anybody have any idea how the tie breaker shakes out? The 4 way tie for 2nd doesn't get broken any with head as all 4 teams split and were 3-3.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2015, 10:18:08 PM
The oac site has the schedule up

1 berg vs 4 jcu
2 marietta vs 3 onu

Bw is out
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: TaxCollector on May 02, 2015, 11:27:18 PM
BW in. Onu out. BW protests a tie breaker rule. Eliminates Onu.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 02, 2015, 11:40:18 PM
Quote from: TaxCollector on May 02, 2015, 11:27:18 PM
BW in. Onu out. BW protests a tie breaker rule. Eliminates Onu.
which rule? I wonder if this rules out ONU from the regional.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2015, 11:51:46 AM
According to BW's website it came down to the run differential tie breaker for the 4 way tie for 2nd-5th.  BW is the 3 seed and plays 2 seed Etta.

Not sure about ONU.  They got to the 30 win mark. They were 5th in the regional rankings, but if Berg/BW win the OAC tournament and favorites Wooster and Adrian win theirs then that puts 3 of the 4 ahead of them in automatically.  I don't know if it's like football where each region has their top remaining team up for an at-large until they're picked (or no bids remain).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 03, 2015, 12:56:58 PM
That is how they do it Dr, they compare the top remaining team in each region to see who is next into the tournament as an at large team. The biggest determinant will be how far ONU drops in the final regional rankings which we don't see. I also think the national committee has some options if they think the regional committee didn't apply the criteria properly in coming up with those final regional rankings.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2015, 06:20:48 PM
Splitting with Berg, I don't know that ONU will drop much if at all in the regional rankings.

If you guys were casting a ballot for the Tekulve and Rafeld awards, how would you vote?  Off the top of my head I think mine would be something like:

Tekulve:

1.  Hendrixson
2.  Doring
3.  Herstine

Rafeld:

1.  Hanahan
2.  Hug
3.  Simmerman

The choice between Hendrixson and Doring is nearly impossible, IMO.  Both guys have been spectacular.  How much better can you do than starting 10 games and going 10-0 while leading the OAC in strikeouts and posting a sub 2 ERA?  That's pretty bulletproof.  But I chose Hendrixson because I thought that he was more valuable to his team.  Let's face it, after Manner there are A LOT of unknowns on the mound.  Hendrixson bounced between starting and closing and was awesome at both. 

For Rafeld I personally thought Hanahan was the choice not easily over Hug, but easier than the pitchers.  It just seemed like Hanahan always got big hits.  You drive in 53 in less than 40 games and you have to be.  The one thing I like about Hug (and Belliveau) is that they seem like complete players.  They hit for average, power, steal bases.  Belliveau was my initial choise for 3rd, but Simmerman had a really good season.  I've seen him play more than the others and he can really hit.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2015, 07:19:01 AM
The OAC tournament will feature two top 10 teams.  Berg stays there dropping to #9 this week.  BW jumps up from #12 to #7.  ONU also moved up four notches to #16.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sir Battlescars on May 06, 2015, 03:22:14 PM
Does anyone know who the starting pitchers are for tomorrows games?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 06, 2015, 04:42:59 PM
My guess would be Manner, Herstine and Doring for sure.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 07, 2015, 01:19:04 PM
I was right Dr A. Heard him say Sat they took him out so he would be fresh on Thurs. hug hit 2 run dinger off Doring in bottom of 1st.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 07, 2015, 03:10:14 PM
Berg added 2 in 6th and 4 in the 7th behind HRs both innings by Christian Verde to win 8-1 over JCU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sir Battlescars on May 07, 2015, 04:32:02 PM
Wow! Peaceful Valley must have been rock'n and roll'n after those dingers.

Great start to the tournament for the Student Princes.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 07, 2015, 06:53:50 PM
Marietta takes care of B-W in game two 7-5.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 08, 2015, 11:56:56 AM
Berg beats Marietta 8-6
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2015, 03:21:50 PM
JCU eliminates BW 3-2.  JCU got a 3-run HR in the first and held on tight the rest of the way. 

Quite surprising coaching move in the 9th by BW.  The leadoff runner gets on, then instead of bunting him over with the 9-batter, they elect to steal.  He's thrown out.  9-batter flies out for the 2nd out.  then they get a single, which would've scored a runner from 2nd.  Chontos then appears to get on with a HBP, but ump says he didn't attempt to move, and brings him back to the box.  next pitch, ground out to short...ballgame.

BW will have to wait for the Pool C bid call to come Sunday late night.

Next up in the loser's bracket final....Marietta vs JCU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2015, 04:54:36 PM
Adrian won the MIAA.  Wooster is up on Oberlin by 7 trying to get to a deciding game in the NCAC.  I'd think both of those teams winning would assist BW.  The problem still is that I'm not sure if any of our OAC squads have the arms to be a threat in a regional. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 08, 2015, 07:07:03 PM
Marietta eliminates JCU 9-8 with a come from behind win, scoring 5 times in the last couple innings including the winning run with 2 outs in the 9th.

Heidelberg is in control, needing to only win once tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2015, 08:06:21 PM
This is when it gets interesting.  If I'm Berg I'm starting Ankrom even if he is a freshman.  Regardless I think we get some fan pleasing ball tomorrow.  Should be fun.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 08, 2015, 08:20:41 PM
Dr, only problem is he pitched 2 innings in relief of Manner today. Do remember another Berg freshman also wearing #22 throwing a heck of a game vs Marietta in a regional championship game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 08, 2015, 10:04:48 PM
Oberlin won the NCAC Tournament. Bad news for ONU. I think BW is still in though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2015, 12:17:12 AM
Ahh I should have looked at the box score.  Oops!  In that case I think Etta is putting up some crooked numbers for sure. Question will be can Berg put up more?

So Wooster lost to Oberlin twice this week?  Yikes.  This isn't Oberlin from a couple years ago I don't think. Those are bad losses.  BW went two and out, but they lost to two good teams.  Oberlin?  Not so much.  Seems like the Yeomen got hot at the right time though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 09, 2015, 10:11:50 AM
Dr, I figured it would be Fluharty today but I bet he is on a very short leash. Wouldn't be surprised to see Hendrixson close if necessary.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 09, 2015, 11:24:37 AM
Neither starter makes it out of the 3rd inning. Marietta up 7-4 in the 4th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sluggerdad on May 09, 2015, 12:12:58 PM
11 - 10 top 7. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2015, 01:23:56 PM
18-11 marietta wins and forces winner take all game.  Lots of offense, and I'm sure more will be coming in the next game!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2015, 03:35:27 PM
End of 6, Marietta leads 6-3. HEID brought Hendrixson on in the 5th while trailing to stop the damage. Anyone know how any pitches he threw in his CG on Thursday? If he goes the rest of the game today, that is A LOT of pitches in a 3 day span.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2015, 04:08:26 PM
101 pitches Thursday per the box score. 50 today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 09, 2015, 04:35:40 PM
Hendrixson did his job, but so did the Marietta pitchers in the late innings...gutsy performance by McNabb.

Marietta wins Championship and advances to NCAA Tournament. I'm guessing Heidelberg and Baldwin Wallace will get Pool C bids, not so sure about Ohio Northern. Wooster losing may not help them...ya never know how those Pool C bids will go.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 11, 2015, 06:42:48 AM
Marietta to GA, Berg to Washington, PA and BW to NY. No to ONU. Big shock Wooster didn't get an at large bid.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 11, 2015, 08:11:57 AM
Not really a big shock about Wooster when you consider their SOS ranking was 237th.  Scheduling wins didn't impress the committee.  Same can be said for Northern as their SOS ranked 118th(ish).  Sad to see ONU left home, but not making the OAC tournament hurt in more ways than one (Not getting the SOS points, Not getting the chance to win against good competition, not winning it outright, and the perception of not being good enough to make your own conference tourney)....

I've said in years past, the OAC teams need to schedule more difficult opponents on a consistent basis.

Some thoughts about the OAC tournament. 

BW is a dangerous team without a top tier pitcher.  They can swing it a lot.  But their pitching (despite only giving up a 3 run homer in their second loss) was probably the worst of the four teams.  Waite's disappearance from that elite status from the prior year was a big difference in their season this year. 

Berg has two arms and not much else on the staff.  Motorman eluded to this earlier, and I completely agree.  Manner has put up good numbers but he is far from dominant.  He is a good #2 guy though and will make them a tough out in game two of any tournament.  Beyond that, the Berg faithful better hope they can bash their way through a game after game three.  Hendrixson is probably the best pitcher in the OAC.  He is really good.  You would have to feel pretty good about any game he starts being a W. 

Marietta's pitching is so wildly inconsistent it is hard to know what to expect.  Even Herstine had a less than optimal outing in his start in the OAC.  Crowl is effective and solid one day, the next teams hit him quite easily.  Same can be said for many of the other guys on the staff.  One day they are great, the next day they are woefully mediocre.  Fortunately for the Pioneers the bats came alive in a big enough way to get the wins needed (and once they stopped trying to give games away.....Have never seen the likes of outfield errors by a Marietta team.  Very uncharacteristic).

Best of luck to all of the OAC schools as they head into Regional play.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 11, 2015, 10:49:49 AM
Piedmont Regional

1. Rhodes
2. Pacific Lutheran
3. Burmingham Southern
4. Marietta
5. Emory
6. Methodist

This is from the Marietta release (http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2015/5/11/BB_0511152251.aspx)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2015, 05:54:24 PM
Hanahan and Doring pick up the OAC special awards.  Hard to argue with either choice.  Both kids had great years. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 12, 2015, 12:50:40 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 11, 2015, 08:11:57 AM
Not really a big shock about Wooster when you consider their SOS ranking was 237th.  Scheduling wins didn't impress the committee.  Same can be said for Northern as their SOS ranked 118th(ish).  Sad to see ONU left home, but not making the OAC tournament hurt in more ways than one (Not getting the SOS points, Not getting the chance to win against good competition, not winning it outright, and the perception of not being good enough to make your own conference tourney)....

I've said in years past, the OAC teams need to schedule more difficult opponents on a consistent basis.

Some thoughts about the OAC tournament. 

BW is a dangerous team without a top tier pitcher.  They can swing it a lot.  But their pitching (despite only giving up a 3 run homer in their second loss) was probably the worst of the four teams.  Waite's disappearance from that elite status from the prior year was a big difference in their season this year. 

Berg has two arms and not much else on the staff.  Motorman eluded to this earlier, and I completely agree.  Manner has put up good numbers but he is far from dominant.  He is a good #2 guy though and will make them a tough out in game two of any tournament.  Beyond that, the Berg faithful better hope they can bash their way through a game after game three.  Hendrixson is probably the best pitcher in the OAC.  He is really good.  You would have to feel pretty good about any game he starts being a W. 

Marietta's pitching is so wildly inconsistent it is hard to know what to expect.  Even Herstine had a less than optimal outing in his start in the OAC.  Crowl is effective and solid one day, the next teams hit him quite easily.  Same can be said for many of the other guys on the staff.  One day they are great, the next day they are woefully mediocre.  Fortunately for the Pioneers the bats came alive in a big enough way to get the wins needed (and once they stopped trying to give games away.....Have never seen the likes of outfield errors by a Marietta team.  Very uncharacteristic).

Best of luck to all of the OAC schools as they head into Regional play.

Well it is easier to have a SOS playing in the OAC, Yes you have Cap, Muskee and Wilm. But then you have Berg, ONU, Matietta, and John Carroll. And some years you can include Mount. I know ONU used to not be on that list but I cannot see them dropping out anytime soon. Your SOS, I believe, and may be wrong, is against teams in your region. So having that lineup in your conference helps. Plus the fact you play round Robin DH. In the NCAC you are stuck with the teams in your division and you play them 16 times. That really hurts your SOS. I agree Wooster did not do themselves any favors. scheduling the likes of North Park, Pitt Bradford, and Olivet. But the way the NCAC is set up it can be hard to get an appropriate SOS. Especially since SOS is calculated against teams in your region:

http://www.d3baseball.com/interactive/faq/ncaaTournament
Strength-of-schedule (only contests versus regional competition).

Not that I thought Wooster would get the nod after the NCAC tourney.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 18, 2015, 04:15:49 PM
Someone should be embarrassed by one of the All Mideast Region team posted here. How a senior for a top ten team who went 7-0 in the regular season then almost threw a no hitter in his only regional start didn't even make 3rd team and a junior who was only 6-3 in the regular season and took both his teams losses in the regional made 2nd team is beyond me. The fact that he was last years regional pitcher of the year shouldn't have mattered in the choices this year but I guess they must have.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 20, 2015, 12:14:56 PM
Congrats to all OAC guys who made the ABCA all-region team...along with the guys who made the d3baseball.com all-region team.

Especially the Marietta guys; Hanahan, Herstine, and Winpigler!


Mideast - ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Teams
NCAA Div. III Mideast All-Region First Team
Pos.   Player   Cl.   School   State
C   James Weber   Jr.   Mount Union   OH
1B   Jamie Lackner   So.   Wooster   OH
2B   Zach Gray   Sr.   Allegheny   PA
3B   Frank Vance   Sr.   Wooster   OH
3B   Ryan Hanahan   Sr.   Marietta   OH
3B   Jordan Nieman   Sr.   Manchester   IN
SS   Ryan Dorow   So.   Adrian   MI
OF   Michael Fischbach   Jr.   Albion   MI
OF   Grant VanPutten   Sr.   Calvin   MI
OF   Derek Hug   Jr.   Heidelberg   OH
DH   Donovan Pogue   Jr.   Thomas More   KY
UT   Mark Zimmerman   Jr.   Baldwin Wallace   OH
P   Derek Hendrixson   So.   Heidelberg   OH
P   Drew Doring   Sr.   John Carroll   OH

P   Eric Schmidt   Sr.   Adrian   MI

NCAA Div. III Mideast All-Region Second Team
Pos.   Player   Cl.   School   State
C   Cole Heberling   Sr.   Anderson   IN
C   Aaron Caputo   Jr.   Ohio Wesleyan   OH
1B   Trent Smith   Jr.   Thiel   PA
2B   Bobby Sabatino   Sr.   John Carroll   OH
2B   Cole Nieto   So.   Baldwin Wallace   OH

3B   Kyle Smith   Sr.   Washington & Jefferson   PA
SS   Mike Castro   Sr.   Bluffton   OH
OF   Jake Dunn   Sr.   Kenyon   OH
OF   Christian Verde   Sr.   Heidelberg   OH
OF   Jeff Gertley   Jr.   Adrian   MI
OF   Dan Belliveau   Sr.   Ohio Northern   OH
OF   Jake Craft   Sr.   Anderson   IN
DH   Devin Van Winkle   So.   Ohio Wesleyan   OH
UT   Matt Elko   Jr.   Thiel   PA
P   Karson Nixon   Jr.   Rose Hulman   IN
P   Christian Herstine   Jr.   Marietta   OH
P   Riley Groves   So.   Washington & Jefferson   PA
P   Brian Resnik   Jr.   Waynesburg   PA
P   Adam Manner   Sr.   Heidelberg   OH
P   Tyler Ferguson   Sr.   La Roche   PA
P   Michael Houdek   So.   Wooster   OH
P   Kevin Zullo   Fr.   Ohio Weleyan   OH

NCAA Div. III Mideast All-Region Third Team
Pos.   Player   Cl.   School   State
C   Chris Winpigler   Sr.   Marietta   OH
1B   Cory Podvasnik   Sr.   La Roche   PA
1B   Tailur Szarenski   So.   Manchester   IN
1B   Jake Simmerman   Jr.   Otterbein   OH
3B   Joe Killian   Jr.   Allegheny   PA
SS   John McLain   Sr.   Wooster   OH
OF   Jameson Brock   Sr.   Franklin   IN
OF   John Watson   Sr.   La Roche   PA
P   Jack Herzing   So.   Penn State Behrend   PA
P   Jordan Frayer   Jr.   Adrian   MI
P   Ben Yoder   Jr.   Anderson   IN
P   Tanner Wilt   Sr.   La Roche   PA
P   Jake Shields   Jr.   Case Western Reserve   OH

Mideast Region Position Player of the Year: Jamie Lackner, Wooster
Mideast Region Pitcher of the Year: Drew Doring, John Carroll
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 20, 2015, 07:12:24 PM
At least they got it right and included Adam Manner on the 2nd team.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 27, 2015, 03:16:10 PM
Mount has posted 5 straight winning seasons in OAC play.  They've gone 44-28 the last 5 seasons.  The last time they had 5 straight winning seasons in conference play was 50 years ago when they had 6 straight in 1960-1965.  Normally I wouldn't applaud just having a winning record as noteworthy, but with the level of play in the OAC of late I am actually pretty impressed with that fact.  That is not easy to do in this conference.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 29, 2015, 02:17:12 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 20, 2015, 07:12:24 PM
At least they got it right and included Adam Manner on the 2nd team.

Probably was nominated. Certainly helps.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 29, 2015, 03:09:38 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 18, 2015, 04:15:49 PM
Someone should be embarrassed by one of the All Mideast Region team posted here. How a senior for a top ten team who went 7-0 in the regular season then almost threw a no hitter in his only regional start didn't even make 3rd team and a junior who was only 6-3 in the regular season and took both his teams losses in the regional made 2nd team is beyond me. The fact that he was last years regional pitcher of the year shouldn't have mattered in the choices this year but I guess they must have.
My "shoot from the hip wisecrack" (because I don't know any of the particulars)?

Jim Dixon sends multiple messages to the SIDs of the schools to nominate players for the All-Region teams

He believes that the SIDs have the best knowledge of what is really happening at the institution.

The D3 platform is well-known encouraging SID's to use D3football/hoops/baseball/soccer/hockey.com to get the message out for their programs.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 30, 2015, 02:46:31 PM
We don't do soccer anymore, Ralph ...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 30, 2015, 05:54:19 PM
My bad....

Thanks

(Wow!  Thanks for your "labor of love", and your lovely bride!)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 18, 2015, 05:27:01 PM
Checked out the Great Lakes stats and saw that Ott's Simmerman was having a great summer.  He's 2nd in the league with a .395 average and also top 10 in RBI.  I also saw BW's Nieto in the top 10 for RBI.  ONU's Eltzroth has made 2 starts and had no record with a 3.00 ERA.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on July 18, 2015, 06:10:46 PM
I do not think Eltzroth is still on the team. I belive he went home a little while ago.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sir Battlescars on September 02, 2015, 01:09:48 PM
Just heard Hendrixson transferred from Heidelberg to Wright State on a full ride scholarship. That stinks for Heidelberg, but good for everyone else... I guess.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 02, 2015, 08:31:16 PM
I'd guess that must be a combo of athletic and academic scholarship for a full ride.  With only 11.7 scholarships for 27 players full rides are rare these days. And that's assuming Wright St is fully funded which a lot of D1 programs are not.

Regardless, you can't blame the kid.  It's a good move on multiple levels for him.  Wright St is a good program and it's a no brainer financially.  I hope he does well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on September 03, 2015, 08:26:27 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on September 02, 2015, 08:31:16 PM
I'd guess that must be a combo of athletic and academic scholarship for a full ride.  With only 11.7 scholarships for 27 players full rides are rare these days. And that's assuming Wright St is fully funded which a lot of D1 programs are not.

Regardless, you can't blame the kid.  It's a good move on multiple levels for him.  Wright St is a good program and it's a no brainer financially.  I hope he does well.

It is possible that just part is an athletic scholarship part is academic based.  Several players have taken this route to the majors - think of Charlie Furbush (S. Joe Maine -> LSU) and Joe Paterson (Linfield -> Oregon).  The additional exposure will not hurt.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 13, 2015, 08:39:51 AM
I saw that Mount added Evan Knott as an assistant coach.  I do not see Ryan Armstrong listed as an assistant currently.  I certainly hope that's just a case of the site not being up to date.  They need him around.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on October 14, 2015, 12:10:50 PM
Marietta has posted their 2016 schedule and it looks to be another tough one.  http://pioneers.marietta.edu/schedule.aspx?path=baseball (http://pioneers.marietta.edu/schedule.aspx?path=baseball). 

Their out of conference schedule includes last year's #1 Cortland, #2 Frostburg, #10 Birmingham Southern, #22 Methodist, #24 Wooster, as well as regional qualifiers LaRoche and Adrian.  Their strength of schedule should be off the charts especially since the OAC always has several strong teams as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 11, 2016, 03:30:21 PM
I actually think the OAC takes a slight step back this year and won't be quite as tough as last year.  Lots of graduation and attrition have impacted the top programs (including Marietta).  While the league will still be very competitive, I don't think it will be as good as it was in 2015. 

Marietta:  Lost a big portion of their offense with Hannahan, Geers, and Winpiggler.  They do return most of a pretty good pitching staff (Including Herstine and Crowl).
 
JCU:  Lost Sabatino, Huddle, and Drew Doring and Libertini from their pitching staff.  LaPaglia and Maddern are key arms returning and Rob Cifelli and Tyler Gentile are key returners as well. 

BW:  Key losses:  Zac Ferster, Kyle Chontos and Eric Murphy.  Corey Waite from their pitching staff (though he had a rough year last year).  They return the rest of their pitching staff (who didn't put up great numbers) and a lot of offensive punch.  I think BW is going to be very good again this year.

Berg:  Key losses: Eric Monroe, Alex Grove, Steven Morse, Christian Verde, and top two pitchers Adam Manner and Derek Hendrixson, who was maybe the most important pitcher to their team of anyone in the OAC.  Returning are Derek Hug, TJ Harkness and Evan Long. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on January 12, 2016, 10:19:43 AM
The OAC may look like it will be slightly down this year, but most of the strong programs should have players ready to step in and contribute.  I expect Baldwin Wallace to be the favorite this year.  As EttaFan indicated, a lot of offense returns.  Ohio Northern was left off your list and they should be in the mix as well.  They have no significant pitching loss, and they led the OAC in ERA last year.  However, they do have a lot of offense to replace from the graduation of LaMarca & Belliveau.  They may not be the favorite, but due to their pitching strength they should be mentioned with the contenders for this season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 12, 2016, 01:13:50 PM
I don't have high hopes for Mount in 2016.  Not that I think they'll be bad or anything, but just not good enough to contend.  I'll share more once they post the roster and I can see who is on the team.  Always a question mark for baseball with who is or isn't coming back after that holiday break.

I think BW is going to be tough.  I'm interested to see how much Zimmerman pitches this year.  He didn't really pitch much at first when he got to BW which surprised me because he was an excellent pitcher in HS.  Then last year he started getting a fair amount of innings on the mound. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 13, 2016, 12:07:47 PM
I agree about ONU, they have some quality pitching. 

I would say that Marietta would not be my favorite at this point because there are number of questions about how they will score runs.  I think the pitching staff will be pretty good, but somebody is going to have to hit the ball in key situations, and that to me is concerning.

I would also pick BW as the favorite early on, although other than Zimmerman, I'm not sold on their pitching staff.  They have the fire power on offense to get it done. 

Otterbein is an unknown at this point, and Mount would also be a bit of an unknown.  Capital, Muskingum and Wilmington have way too much ground to make up to be contenders for one of the four spots, IMO. 

To me this is how I view it.

The three likely to make the OAC Tourney:  Marietta, BW, and JCU.

The legitimate contenders for the fourth spot: ONU and Berg.

Can make some noise and push their way in: Mount and Otterbein.

Taking up space on everyone's schedule. Wilmington, Capital. and Muskingum.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 17, 2016, 05:03:47 PM
Taking a look at Mount's FL schedule with 2015 records:

DH vs. St. John Fisher (25-18/13-5)
DH vs. St. Mary's (MN) (24-12/9-9)
DH vs. Alma (20-20/11-17)
DH vs. Roger Williams (19-20/9-7)
DH vs. Marymount (VA) (17-17/9-9)
DH vs. Wartburg (33-14/20-8)

Seems pretty similar to past years.  Mostly middle of the road teams again.  Wartburg should be a good challenge.  SJF is usually pretty good too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 17, 2016, 05:21:00 PM
SFJ is better than their record. They started out slow last year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on January 19, 2016, 02:46:56 PM
Marietta will be tested early and often this season.   They open up with last year's champs, and the tough schedule doesn't slow down much. Here some "big games."  Definitely one of the toughest schedules in the country.

#1 SUNY Cortland (in North Carolina)
#17 Methodist (in North Carolina)
St. John Fisher (DH) (in FL)
#7 Rhodes(in FL)
#12 Wartburg (in FL)
at Piedmont (at Piedmont)
#9 Birmingham-Southern (at Piedmont)
Adrian College (at Piedmont)
La Roche
Thomas More
Case-Western
#28 Frostburg State
Ohio Wesleyan
at Denison
#21 Wooster
#19 Baldwin Wallace (DH)
Washington & Jefferson
at #18 Heidelberg (DH)
at Case Western (DH)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 19, 2016, 06:38:47 PM
Quote from: mideastfan2 on January 19, 2016, 02:46:56 PM
Marietta will be tested early and often this season.   They open up with last year's champs, and the tough schedule doesn't slow down much. Here some "big games."  Definitely one of the toughest schedules in the country.

#1 SUNY Cortland (in North Carolina)
#17 Methodist (in North Carolina)
St. John Fisher (DH) (in FL)
#7 Rhodes(in FL)
#12 Wartburg (in FL)
at Piedmont (at Piedmont)
#9 Birmingham-Southern (at Piedmont)
Adrian College (at Piedmont)
La Roche
Thomas More
Case-Western
#28 Frostburg State
Ohio Wesleyan
at Denison
#21 Wooster
#19 Baldwin Wallace (DH)
Washington & Jefferson
at #18 Heidelberg (DH)
at Case Western (DH)

That is a really tough schedule. I do not see any walk overs in that line up. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 20, 2016, 01:24:42 PM
Though Adrian, La Roche, Case and W&J aren't ranked, they have been regular attendees in the regional tournaments the past few years.  Let's not forget about John Carroll or Ohio Northern either who should also be quite strong this year.

I'd like to see a team who faces a tougher schedule (on paper at least) this year than Marietta.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: hockeyfan77 on January 20, 2016, 05:54:04 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 20, 2016, 01:24:42 PM
Though Adrian, La Roche, Case and W&J aren't ranked, they have been regular attendees in the regional tournaments the past few years.  Let's not forget about John Carroll or Ohio Northern either who should also be quite strong this year.

I'd like to see a team who faces a tougher schedule (on paper at least) this year than Marietta.


Probably not as tough but USM (Southern Maine) has a pretty tough schedule:

http://southernmainehuskies.com/sports/bsb/2015-16/schedule
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 21, 2016, 09:51:24 AM
Strong slate indeed for the Huskies.  What isn't printed on there is their games against Mother Nature.  They probably won't get to play a home game until Mid May  ;D

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: hockeyfan77 on January 22, 2016, 01:55:39 AM
I shouldn't  jinx us up here but I am going too!  lol   very little snow on the ground up here for mid Jan and we are missing out of the "blockbuster" that is going to miss us to out south....This winter kind of reminds me of 09-10 when all the snow hit south of us and USM even hosted a couple games in mid March  against St. Joseph's (L.I.) cause they had more snow then we did....Of course there is a wonderful trade off of it being 3 degrees with a feel like temp of -5 as I am typing this: Sometimes it's even to cold to snow!     Tough Schedule for a young USM team: pretty good recruiting class coming in and they will be thrown into the fire....Sorry for derailing the thread but there is very little talk on the New England region board....   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 22, 2016, 03:23:11 PM
No worries.  Just getting the itch for college baseball.  Unfortunately Marietta is in the path of the global killer winter storm...8-10" or so I guess is what they are saying.    Good 2+ in the last 90 minutes or so. 

A few years ago, I was driving by the football stadium and Coach Brewer had the team out doing some interesting conditioning.  They were shoveling the football field.  The  team lined up each with a shovel, and one guy would start across the width of the field as fast as he could and the next guy would go when he was about to the numbers and so on.  Then they would spring back across the field to get in line again. 

I guess he had a strong desire to practice outside in the next few days.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 23, 2016, 02:43:20 PM
Checked out the preseason poll.  Berg (12), BW (19) and Etta (24) are all ranked.  To be honest I'm surprised that Berg is ranked that high.  With Manner graduated and Hendrixson transferring their pitching staff has some major question marks.  Those two were a combined 15-1 and threw almost 40% of the innings last year.  And there was a noticeable drop off after them. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 25, 2016, 11:40:29 AM
Yeah, I doubt many people looked that deeply at what they lost (Manner, Hendrixson, Eric Monroe, Verde, and some other offensive power). 

Their pitching staff other than those two was a not very good.  I think they take a step back this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 26, 2016, 11:21:30 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 25, 2016, 11:40:29 AM
Yeah, I doubt many people looked that deeply at what they lost (Manner, Hendrixson, Eric Monroe, Verde, and some other offensive power). 

Their pitching staff other than those two was a not very good.  I think they take a step back this year.
I have to agree with Dr and Etta on this. OWU faced Heidelberg for a mid week game. And while OWU had a good offense last year, OWU absolutely crushed Heidelberg. And we did not face either Hendrixson or Manner.
Where did Hendrixson transfer to? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on January 26, 2016, 03:03:56 PM
Derek Hendrixson is now at Wright State.

http://www.wsuraiders.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=630815&SPID=92412&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=27000&ATCLID=210396691&Q_SEASON=2015
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 26, 2016, 04:11:22 PM
Quote from: Pops33 on January 26, 2016, 03:03:56 PM
Derek Hendrixson is now at Wright State.

http://www.wsuraiders.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=630815&SPID=92412&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=27000&ATCLID=210396691&Q_SEASON=2015

Do we know if he has to sit for a year? Maybe I am just noticing it more, but I am seeing more cases where d3 players move to a d1 and do not have to spend a year in residence.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on January 27, 2016, 08:23:39 AM
While I don't know for sure, It is my belief that the "sit for a year" rule only applies to D1 to D1 schools.  I think he will be eligible right away.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 28, 2016, 11:21:31 AM
I know it does not. This is a D1 requirement, If you come from a 4 year school you have to have a year in residence. Now there are exceptions in the rule book. And he may fall into one of those.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 30, 2016, 12:06:54 PM
Mount has their 2016 roster posted.  The one thing I was wondering about, and it's been answered, is whether Sam Clarke would be back this year.  He will be so that's good news for the Raiders.  He only pitched 1 inning last year due to injury.  He was 7-2 with a 3.88 ERA the year before.  That gives Mount 2 strong guys at the front of the rotation with Toma (9-1, 2.86 ERA).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BaseballMom22 on February 03, 2016, 09:16:14 PM
Berg may have the answer to some of their pitching issues. Looks like Adam Manner will be back. He red shirted freshman year with injury. On another note, Derek Hug was named preseason D3 POY by Baseball America. Both should give Berg a solid base to build on.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 11, 2016, 06:28:10 PM
I just read the Mideast region preview.  I was a little surprised to be honest.  I don't think Berg is anything near a national title level team.  Truthfully, I don't think they're even the favorite to win the OAC.  But I also didn't think they'd be that good last year and they went deep into a regional so I'm not exactly Nostradamus. 

The other thing that surprised me was the mention of Cap as a potential sleeper.  That'd definitely be a surprise depending on your definition.  Surprise team to improve a few games over last year's OAC record?  I can see that for sure.  Surprise team to be in the hunt for the OAC tourney?  Not so much.  I like Grice.  I think he does a nice job.  I think if he was the HC at the other Columbus school he'd be pushing for conference tourney berths most years.  But he's the HC at Cap.  Cap doesn't support him (or sports) like most of his competitors.  The only person who does more with less is Thompson.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on February 12, 2016, 01:03:42 PM
Cap, like a lot of other OAC schools, is on the "show me" list.  Show me you can be consistently competitive for one of the top 4 spots.  Show me you can not only make the OAC tourney but be there on Saturday when it matters once in a while.  Until Cap shows that, I can't believe they will be a sleeper in a very good conference with a number of good teams at the top who have built solid rosters and deep programs.  Marietta, Berg, and now BW and JCU have shown where they have not just built a one time, one year thing.  They either have been consistently in the mix or are starting to be consistently in the mix.  They aren't that "one special class" driven programs right now. 

D3baseball wants to talk about Northern.  Sure they are building, but what was the last year they were in the OAC tournament  ?  When was the last time they were in back to back years?  They HAVE shown improvement, but that is a better pick for a "sleeper" pick than you think.  The last time ONU was in the OAC baseball tournament was 2000.  They were in each OAC tourney from 1995 through 2000.  But haven't been there since.  They could easily be a factor this year, but they haven't shown it yet.  (In fact Capital has been to the OAC tourney more recently than Northern's last appearance).

I've said before, and I agree with Dr. A.  Heidelberg will take a step backwards this year.  Manner is good.  But they leaned very heavily on Hendrixson last year.  You have to have more than 2 quality arms to win a 6+ team tourney, and more than 1 to win a 4 team tourney.  Unless there is significant improvement in the Berg pitching staff from a year ago, it is hard to reconcile D3baseball's prediction.  Hug is good.  But the guys around him in the batting order who graduated will impact the quality of pitches he sees (and unless the guys around him hit really well, Hug won't see much to hit) and the impact that he will have. 



 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 12, 2016, 03:40:42 PM
Hendrixson's versatility was so critical to their success.  The fact that he was both the best starter and the closer is kind of crazy and most certainly not easily replaced.  In effect they're almost attempting to replace two stud pitchers with his departure.  They need Ankrom to take a major step forward in his development to shoulder some of that burden, but even then after him you have a lot of question marks and upperclassmen who haven't pitched particularly well.  Truth be told, the Berg staff reminds me of Mount's staff. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 17, 2016, 03:41:59 PM
From what little I saw of Bergs staff last year they need some help. OWU played them last year in a mid week, and did well. The pitchers for berg were clearly getting frustrated. Ankrom started against us and only lasted 1.1 innings.
Out of the four pitchers we faced they only struck out 3 OWU batters. They gave up 17 er and 22 total.
Yes it was a mid week game but Ankrom did start it.
I am sure Berg will be chomping at the bit to get even.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 20, 2016, 07:33:13 PM
BW's opening games were washed out so Harrison quickly lined up a DH today with LaRoche at W&J.  Nice move.  Good test out of the gate for the Jackets.  No word on how it's going so far though (first pitch was 5:30).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 20, 2016, 07:42:02 PM
Good job by Harrison. With todays whether teams could have been played in Central Ohio, if the fields were dry.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 20, 2016, 11:13:14 PM
BW gets swept 2-1 and 6-1.  Rough start for the bats.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 23, 2016, 01:43:13 PM
Wilm dropped all 3 of their games at Centre.  The Quakers managed only 1 run in each game.

Most of the conference gets going this weekend.  Baseball season is here!  Good luck to all the OAC squads down south.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 23, 2016, 03:35:47 PM
Just took a look at Mount's JV schedule.  Pretty solid.  13 games including 2 against Etta and a total of 7 against the local D2's (Malone and Walsh).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 27, 2016, 04:25:17 PM
The OAC is officially playing ball!

Etta opened with a 7-4 loss to the defending national champs, but followed up with a 15-6 win over Lynchburg.

Berg gave up 19 runs to Manchester is their opener falling 19-10.  Both they and Etta are playing again today.  BW and Cap are playing also.

Ott beat Chicago St. 5-3 yesterday.  They're off until Monday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on February 27, 2016, 07:55:15 PM
Berg beat Case in their 2nd game 3-2 Dr.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 27, 2016, 11:57:30 PM
Indeed.  Great game by Huber.  CG 2 hitter.  Very impressive start.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2016, 03:26:28 PM
Updates from yesterday and so far today:

ONU (1-0) opened with a 1-0 win over RHIT.

Etta (3-1) beat Methodist 6-5 yesterday and Neumann also 6-5 today.

Cap (2-1) swept Lyndon St. yesterday 1-0 and 12-2.  They dropped an 11-7 game to St. Mary's today.

Berg (1-1) beat Case 3-2 yesterday and is playing Case currently.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2016, 04:21:59 PM
Rough afternoon for our OAC hitters thus far...ONU, Berg and Mount are all currently being blanked.  ONU is down 7-0 to RHIT, Berg 10-0 to Case and Mount 2-0 to SJF with all games at least in the 6th.

ONU lost 7-0, Berg lost 11-5, Mount lost 2-1.  JCU split with Concordia-Moorhead. Both games were 4-3 finals.  BW split with Spalding winning 10-7 and losing 13-4.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 28, 2016, 07:35:40 PM
Clarke makes his first start in a year and goes 6 allowing 2 runs.  Unfortunately, the offense let them down again in the nightcap dropping it by the same 2-1 score.  Squandered a couple pretty good starts from Toma (CG, 2 R) and Clarke today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 29, 2016, 07:11:30 PM
Mount (1-3) got in the win column today splitting with St. Mary's.  They dropped the opener 6-3, but salvaged a split 5-1 thanks to a strong start from Beau Taylor who threw all 7 innings allowing only 4 hits.

Ott (3-0) stayed perfect by pounding North Central (MN not IL) by a combined score of 32-2 today.  They'll likely be 4-0 after tomorrow since they play North Central again tomorrow in a single game.

ONU (2-1) took their single game from SJF 9-4.  Solid win there.

Cap (2-2) dropped their 2nd straight this time to RHIT 12-6.  The Crusaders have given up 23 runs in those losses.

Wilm (0-5) lost their late game last night to MSJ by a 20-6 count.  Rough start for the Quakers again.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2016, 12:00:22 PM
As we'd expect there was some big movement in the top 25 as games started.  Etta jumped up 5 spots to #19.  BW fell from #19 to ORV.  Berg dropped from #12 to #25.  ONU is also RV and is ahead of BW this week.  The only other Mideast team ranked is #23 Wooster.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 01, 2016, 01:21:29 PM
OWU is an ORV, but a ways down, with 6
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2016, 02:52:29 PM
^^^ I was strictly speaking of the top 25 ranked teams outside the OAC, but in the Mideast.  LaRoche, TMC, MSJ, OWU, Adrian are all RV.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 01, 2016, 02:56:03 PM
Yeah I know, Just could not resist putting it in there. I keep forgetting that LaRoche and the AMCC are now in the mideast,
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2016, 03:31:20 PM
Mount freshman Phil Mary took a perfect game into the 6th against Alma today.  Mary ended up throwing all 7 IP and posting a 2-hit shutout with 12 K in his first collegiate start.  Congrats on the first W!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 02, 2016, 12:00:46 AM
Mount dropped the 2nd game to Alma 4-3.  0-3 in 1 run games so far.

Ott finished wasting their time with North Central (MN) with a 33-3 win.  I'm not sure what you gain from playing a team like that 3 times beyond inflating your confidence and stats. 

JCU went down to RHIT 4-2.

ONU lost a tough one to #22 Wartburg 3-2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 02, 2016, 09:02:25 AM
"Just like Football" these preseason polls are a complete waste of time.  The polls are strictly based on where a team finished last year, and not much else.  I'm not even sure too many paid any attention to roster turnover to come up with their opinions on where teams should be ranked. 

Spring trips will sort a lot of teams out.  I think Cortland is probably pretty good, if not really good.  I think the Jury is out on Marietta right now gritty wins, but still as many questions as answers.  They went 3-1 but it remains to be seen how good Lynchburg, Methodist, and Neumann are going to be.  We'll know a lot more when everyone gets to Florida.

As far as playing someone like Otterbein played?  Three times is a bit much.  Once would be sufficient and it really doesn't help you get that much better or tell you much about your team.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Westside on March 02, 2016, 10:16:45 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 02, 2016, 09:02:25 AM
"Just like Football" these preseason polls are a complete waste of time.  The polls are strictly based on where a team finished last year, and not much else.  I'm not even sure too many paid any attention to roster turnover to come up with their opinions on where teams should be ranked.

Where are you getting this information? I know that I personally spend hours going over team rosters, summer information, incoming recruits, etc. when filling out my preseason poll. I don't think it is fair to make a broad, sweeping generalization when it isn't necessarily true for everyone.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 02, 2016, 02:58:31 PM
Than
Quote from: Westside on March 02, 2016, 10:16:45 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 02, 2016, 09:02:25 AM
"Just like Football" these preseason polls are a complete waste of time.  The polls are strictly based on where a team finished last year, and not much else.  I'm not even sure too many paid any attention to roster turnover to come up with their opinions on where teams should be ranked.

Where are you getting this information? I know that I personally spend hours going over team rosters, summer information, incoming recruits, etc. when filling out my preseason poll. I don't think it is fair to make a broad, sweeping generalization when it isn't necessarily true for everyone.
Thanks for your service west side. What teams do you look at? I understand you spend hours but that is certainly not enough time to review every team. How do you narrow down your search?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2016, 08:53:24 AM
Yesterday was a slow day with only Ott playing.  The Cards are now 5-0 after a 3-1 win over SUNY Old Westbury.

Today has a couple nice games with JCU vs Wartburg and ONU vs SJF.  Cap also plays Hanover.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2016, 08:56:29 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 02, 2016, 09:02:25 AM
As far as playing someone like Otterbein played?  Three times is a bit much.  Once would be sufficient and it really doesn't help you get that much better or tell you much about your team.

I can see once for sure.  Get your backups a chance to get some AB's and IP.  But 3 straight games I guess I just don't see the point. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2016, 10:40:11 AM
Quote from: Westside on March 02, 2016, 10:16:45 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on March 02, 2016, 09:02:25 AM
"Just like Football" these preseason polls are a complete waste of time.  The polls are strictly based on where a team finished last year, and not much else.  I'm not even sure too many paid any attention to roster turnover to come up with their opinions on where teams should be ranked.

Where are you getting this information? I know that I personally spend hours going over team rosters, summer information, incoming recruits, etc. when filling out my preseason poll. I don't think it is fair to make a broad, sweeping generalization when it isn't necessarily true for everyone.

I'm sure you and the other voters do your research.  But I also don't think you can necessarily fault EttaFan for wondering aloud.  The results of the preseason poll do scream "last year's results".  The preseason top 10 features teams ranked no worse than #11 in the final 2015 poll.  The top 25 overall is 23 teams from the final poll plus Etta and Southern Maine (two historically strong programs that are easy to put in a preseason poll site unseen).  For the record, I have no issue with the preseason poll.  It's fine because once games start the voters have no problem moving teams up or down drastically based on results.  That's all you can ask, IMO.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 03, 2016, 11:24:41 AM
I agree, and do not mind the preseason Poll. Trying to find out information about D3 teams has tough before the season starts. So pollsters have to use the information they have. Many times that is what they  did last year and historically.
I sometimes get frustrated once the season starts and teams are beating tough OOC foes but get ignored in the polls.
OWU, beat BW, Marietta, and Heidelberg last year, Plus St John Fisher. And they did not get much love. Now I have to admit they hurt themselves losing to some of the teams they lost to. These wins were not 1 run games some of them were significant. In the end they hurt themselves, There were enough Shoulda, Coulda's to their season last year. So while I was disappointed I can understand. It just seems that These teams were not effected by losing to OWU, and OWU did not get any benefit buy beating these teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2016, 11:26:26 AM
Nice win for JCU yesterday.  They beat Wartburg 5-1.  In the other games Cap won and ONU lost.  Lots more action today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on March 04, 2016, 02:46:00 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on March 03, 2016, 11:24:41 AM
I agree, and do not mind the preseason Poll. Trying to find out information about D3 teams has tough before the season starts. So pollsters have to use the information they have. Many times that is what they  did last year and historically.
I sometimes get frustrated once the season starts and teams are beating tough OOC foes but get ignored in the polls.
OWU, beat BW, Marietta, and Heidelberg last year, Plus St John Fisher. And they did not get much love. Now I have to admit they hurt themselves losing to some of the teams they lost to. These wins were not 1 run games some of them were significant. In the end they hurt themselves, There were enough Shoulda, Coulda's to their season last year. So while I was disappointed I can understand. It just seems that These teams were not effected by losing to OWU, and OWU did not get any benefit buy beating these teams.

For the preseason Top 25 every voter is given a record of the teams previous ranking, ranking in any preseason polls,  records for the last 5 years, Playoff success over the last 10 years, a summary of returning players (starters and reserves).

For the regular season poll the record and results are provided, ranked by vote totals.  A number of additional teams are also included, usually based on record.
The list is made up of every team that qualified for the playoffs at least once in the last 10 years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2016, 04:24:04 PM
Nice win for Cap this afternoon over RHIT 11-9.  The Crusaders are 5-2 so far and hitting the ball well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2016, 11:48:14 AM
Friday Recap:

Mount (4-4) swept Roger Williams.  They got a walk off single from Mitchell Lake to win 8-7 in the opener.  In the second game they rode a strong start from Clarke to a 7-1 win.

Berg (1-3) lost a single game to Spalding 7-6.  Spalding split with BW earlier.

JCU (5-2) swept Rhode Island College 5-3 and 4-3.

ONU (3-3) pummeled St. Vincent 22-1.

Ott (5-1) dropped their first game of the year to Mitchell 7-6.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2016, 06:11:32 PM
Mount (5-5) splits with Marymount in a couple low scoring affairs.  Marymount walked off on a suicide squeeze winning 3-2.  Skladan pitched all 7 IP for Mount.  In the 2nd game Mount returned the favor winning on a walk off 2B by Jimmy Scott in the 8th 2-1.  Taylor had his same line score as his first start going 7 very strong innings allowing only 1 R again today.  I especially love to see the 7 K, 0 BB.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2016, 03:12:38 PM
There are some nice mile markers for current OAC coaches this year.  Brewer is going to surpass 500 wins.  Powell already eclipsed 400 wins.  Thompson will go over 400 wins this season.  And Hesse could reach 400 also.

All-time Wins for OAC Coaches through 2015 (active in bold):

1)  Don Schaly, 1442
2)  Bob Fisher, 700
3)  Dick Fishbaugh, 617
4)  Herb Strayer, 592
5)  Brian Brewer, 496
6)  Matt Palm, 469
7)  George Powell, 396
8)  Gregg Thompson, 393
9)  Paul Hesse, 379
10)  Marc Thibeault, 328
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2016, 03:59:53 PM
Tough going so far today for my Raiders.  They're kicking the ball around a little in their final DH against Wartburg.  They committed 3 errors in a 3-0 loss in game 1.  Phil Mary went the distance allowing 2 earned.  Not even 2 innings in the books in the 2nd game and already 3 more errors and a 6-0 deficit.  Need to wake the bats up quickly.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on March 07, 2016, 01:58:56 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2016, 03:12:38 PM
There are some nice mile markers for current OAC coaches this year.  Brewer is going to surpass 500 wins.  Powell already eclipsed 400 wins.  Thompson will go over 400 wins this season.  And Hesse could reach 400 also.

All-time Wins for OAC Coaches through 2015 (active in bold):

1)  Don Schaly, 1442
2)  Bob Fisher, 700
3)  Dick Fishbaugh, 617
4)  Herb Strayer, 592
5)  Brian Brewer, 496
6)  Matt Palm, 469
7)  George Powell, 396
8)  Gregg Thompson, 393
9)  Paul Hesse, 379
10)  Marc Thibeault, 328

Congrats to Brian Brewer on his 500th win.  Too bad Otterbein does not hype their coaches milestone.  I like to get a teams coach featured every 100 wins and missed Powell's 400th win.  For the good ones, that is every 3 years, for an average coach that is every 5 years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2016, 11:18:47 AM
Mount ended their spring trip with a 2nd loss to Wartburg, 9-8.  Down 6-0 they battled back to take the lead into the bottom of the 7th, but lost it on another walk off.  Tough last day.

Thoughts on the trip as a whole:

Welcome back to Sam Clarke.  His first two starts in a year were both very solid (1-1, 2.25 ERA) and certainly reason to be hopeful that he is back to 100%.  That'd be a big lift to the staff.  Clarke is a guy that's proven he can win OAC games and they need that.

Outside of Clarke I was very excited to see what Taylor, Skladan and newcomer Phil Mary did in their starts.  Taylor (2 GS, 1-0, 1.29 ERA) and Mary (2 GS, 2-1, 1.13 ERA) were the surprises of the trip IMO.

Mitchell Lake had a great trip hitting .450 including a game winning hit.  He did not play the last 5 games though so I hope he's not hurt.

On paper Toma didn't have a great trip at 1-1, 6.52 ERA, but I'm not worried.  His first start he pitched extremely well against SJF outside of one pitch.  He'll be fine.

Goodall (.364) and Weber (.343) both started a little slow at the plate, but both heated up by the end of the trip.  Weber also ended up driving in 10 in 11 games.

Another nice surprise was freshman Nick Satovich at 1B.  He hit .467 (7-15) in the 6 games he played.  I saw a couple of the box scores he was penciled into the middle of the order so the coaches must like his bat.

Overall I think the big concern is scoring runs.  They only scored 3.75 runs/gm and again this year they look like there are not going to be a ton of XBH.  They're going to have to manufacture runs.  That puts a lot of pressure on the pitching staff, but I am higher on the staff now than I was preseason.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2016, 12:21:42 PM
New top 25 is out.  Etta moved up a spot to #18.  Berg dropped out and into ORV.  ONU and BW are still hanging around in ORV as well.  I was a little surprised ONU was still getting votes this week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2016, 07:59:19 PM
Wow. Musky has had 5 pitchers start games.  4 are freshmen. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2016, 07:18:27 PM
Musky had a nice spring trip finishing up 7-2 overall.

JCU really needs to stop playing Manchester.  They've now lost 5 straight after dropping a 3rd consecutive game against Manchester today.  The Streaks managed just 3 runs total in the 3 games.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 16, 2016, 08:31:07 AM
New top 25 has no OAC squads in it with Etta (7-5) dropping out.  They're just outside the top 25 with 65 points. ONU (6-4) is receiving 10 pts along with Berg (3-7) with 9.  Before anyone brings it up, Berg was 3-4 when they voted.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 16, 2016, 07:51:05 PM
OWU squeaks one out over Ott today at Littick field. Score was 10-9. Ott led most of the game. OWU was down 6-1 after the second inning.  And did not take the lead until the eighth.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2016, 09:31:42 AM
Mount (6-7) eased into the northern portion of the schedule with a 20-8 win over Hiram (1-10) yesterday.  Mount had 8 players with at least 2 RBI.  Congrats to SS Jimmy Scott who hit for the cycle going 4-5 with 4 RBI.  Taylor picked up the win in relief going 3 scoreless.  Mary got a 3 inning save by following Taylor with 3 shutout innings of his own.  With Westminster (1-8) coming to Alliance tomorrow the schedule doesn't get much tougher.  I just hope they get that Pitt-Greensburg game in Wed. because I'm not a huge fan of going from a pair of 1 win teams straight to Etta in the OAC opener. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 18, 2016, 01:32:24 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2016, 09:31:42 AM
Mount (6-7) eased into the northern portion of the schedule with a 20-8 win over Hiram (1-10) yesterday.  Mount had 8 players with at least 2 RBI.  Congrats to SS Jimmy Scott who hit for the cycle going 4-5 with 4 RBI.  Taylor picked up the win in relief going 3 scoreless.  Mary got a 3 inning save by following Taylor with 3 shutout innings of his own.  With Westminster (1-8) coming to Alliance tomorrow the schedule doesn't get much tougher.  I just hope they get that Pitt-Greensburg game in Wed. because I'm not a huge fan of going from a pair of 1 win teams straight to Etta in the OAC opener. 
Looks like Jimmy will be playing in the GSCL for the Irish Hills Leprechauns this summer.

http://ihleprechauns.bbstats.pointstreak.com/team_roster.html?teamid=104048
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 19, 2016, 03:31:19 PM
Mount (7-7) beat Westminster 5-1 today.  They changed the DH to a single 9 due to weather concerns.  Sherwood had the big blow with a 2-run double in the 7th that made it 3-0.  Toma threw 4 shutout innings and Clarke allowed just a lone unearned run over the final 5.  I listened to it online and Clarke sounded especially sharp today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 23, 2016, 07:44:36 PM
OWU beats Baldwin Wallace. 7-4. Harison gets ejected.
Stausbaugh hit a ball down the first base line. Looks to us that it goes i bounces over first. First baseman is standing on the base and tries tobraech straight up and it goes over his glove.
Mott walks out from third base coaches box and has a discusson with the base ump. Base ump confers with home plate umpire aand they awardbthe base to Stausbaugh.
Harison comes out and starts having a discussion with the base ump. Does not seem all that heated,  but I am on the other side of the field. Base ump eventually starts to walk away. Harison follows and continues talking.  By the time the ump gets most of the way tobfirst, he must have heard enough and ejects Harison.
Frankly I was surprised when they awarded the base. I thoughtbthe ball was fair, but did not expect the ump to over ti0urn his call.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2016, 09:16:39 AM
BW is really struggling.  They're hitting .239 as a team.  That's not going to get it done at all.  Cole Nieto, who's a big bat they're counting on, is hitting just .170 this year.  And their pitching isn't great either so far.  Zimmerman has been very good as expected and Albright has been good too, but after that they've got some question marks.

To me this is looking like it's going to be a wild (but down) year in the OAC.  I wouldn't be surprised if the regular season champ loses 4-5 games again this year.  I also wouldn't be surprised if 6 or 7 teams still have a shot at the OAC tourney heading into the last DH.  Just feels like a lot of 10-8ish records are coming.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2016, 07:47:10 AM
Etta at Mount has been pushed back from today to tomorrow.  Mount's DH at OWU tomorrow PPD indefinitely.  I don't know about NE Ohio but it poured in Columbus yesterday evening so I'm unsure about tomorrow either.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 25, 2016, 09:00:24 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2016, 07:47:10 AM
Etta at Mount has been pushed back from today to tomorrow.  Mount's DH at OWU tomorrow PPD indefinitely.  I don't know about NE Ohio but it poured in Columbus yesterday evening so I'm unsure about tomorrow either.
It is always a challenge when scheduling an OAC team especially near the beginning of OAC league play. The OAC has a rule, and I would not have them change it, that requires OAC teams to play a missed conference game, on the next available date. This happens to OWU quite often with Weekend games against OAC teams. A Friday OAC conference DH gets canceled and and then OWU loses an opponent for Saturday.
It is a good rule, and it beats what some other conferences do. But it has to be tough for the non-conference opponent who has to find a replacement or forgo the game. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2016, 04:21:00 PM
Etta plates a run in the top of the 9th to take the opener 6-5 over Mount.  It was Herstine against Clarke.  Both threw decently.  I was a little surprised Mount hit Herstine around a little (13 or 14 hits I think WMOA said). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2016, 04:25:58 PM
Forgot to mention that Berg and Cap split yesterday.  I'm guessing if you told Grice he'd beat Berg 6-0 when Manner starts he'd jump on that. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2016, 06:32:18 PM
Game 2 in Alliance seems to be ugly.  Etta has 3 errors leading to 3 unearned for Mount.  Mount has outdone them though with 5 errors leading to 11 unearned runs for the Pios.  It's 18-8.  Mount's undoing was an 8 run 5th for Etta which featured 7 unearned runs.  Mary was roughed up allowing 6 hits to the 7 batters faced in the inning.  Petrucci has been killing Mount all day today. 

It's a tough pill to swallow when you put up 30 hits in a DH against Etta's 1 and 2 and come away with nothing.  Clean up the pitching and move on to Berg.  Need at least a split there.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2016, 08:49:04 PM
Interesting opening weekend in the OAC.

Berg and Cap kicked things off with their split.  That Wellman kid completely shut down Berg, but they aren't alone.  He's been really good so far this year.  Grice has some guys over in Bexley.  Definitely looks like he has enough to make things interesting this year.

The remainder of the slate was sweep city.  As I mentioned Etta swept Mount.  They just found a way to win game 1 and then the wheels came off for Mount in game 2.  Perhaps a little emotional let down after game 1.  Etta just takes care of business as usual.  I listened to both games.  I definitely don't think Etta is going to run away with the OAC, but they're the favorite IMO.

ONU sent a bit of a message sweeping Ott fairly easily in Westerville.  Time will tell if ONU is that good or if Ott is not.  My hunch is a little of both, but more so the latter.  Of late I've started wondering about Ott's OOC because it seems like they have a nice record and then kind of twist in the wind in conference play.

Musky held serve against Wilm although that opener was a little closer than Thompson would have liked I'm sure.  Regardless, you need to sweep the Quakers and they did.  End of story.

I commented earlier about BW's offense, but JCU seems to be struggling to score lately also.  Maddern and Lapaglia are a strong 1-2, but I'm not sure they're enough to carry them alone.  Zimmerman improved to 4-1 for BW going 8, 2 earned and 11 K's.  He goes from being an All-Conference middle infielder to adding "Arguably best pitcher in the OAC" to his resume now.  Pretty impressive stuff.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 28, 2016, 11:01:57 PM
I agree with you on Ott. I have seen them up close and personal, and they have some good players. I really like Kent and Hutchison. Sam Severance will do well also. Same thing happened last year, they play a weaker schedule in Florida and pile up some wins. People start talking abot them, then they come back, and one of their first games is against OWU. I saw both games, last year and this year, and I was not impressed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2016, 06:04:37 PM
Mount got drummed by OWU yesterday 14-2, but bounced back to beat Thiel today 16-9.  Pitching was a little shaky both days, but the offense was clicking pretty good today at least.  Good news for Mount was the return of SS Mitchell Lake today for his first action since day 4 in FL. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on March 31, 2016, 12:32:24 PM
big news for the Marietta alumni....

Matt DeSalvo (Marietta, 2003) will be inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, as part of the 2016 class.  Matt becomes the first DIII Pitcher to ever be inducted, and only the fourth overall DIII person inducted.  He joins his former coach Don Schaly, Tim Jorgensen from Oshkosh, and former ECSU coach Bill Holowaty.

I played with Matt, and as a Marietta alum, we couldn't be more proud.  He was a great player, teammate, and representative for Marietta for many years.

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2016/3/31/matt-desalvo-02-named-to-2016-national-college-baseball-hall-of-fame-class.aspx
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2016, 08:26:57 AM
DeSalvo was the most dominant D3 pitcher I played against or have ever seen for that matter.  It looked like he was throwing a golf ball.  The sick part was those Etta teams also had the the best position player in OAC history too in Coakley.  That's not a bad nucleus.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2016, 10:12:12 AM
Mount at Berg was pushed back to Sunday.

Now pushed back to Monday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2016, 04:55:41 PM
Cap beat Wilm 20-0 in game 1 today.  Good grief.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2016, 04:26:20 PM
Berg rides a strong outing from Manner to a 4-1 win in game 1 today.  Mount @ Berg is the only action today with Ott/BW being PPD again.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2016, 08:20:05 AM
Berg wins game 2 by a 9-4 score.  Mount is digging themselves a hole at 0-4 with ONU up next.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2016, 11:41:19 AM
Etta is receiving 11 votes this week.  No one else garnered a top 25 vote.  Aside from Wilm, I wouldn't be surprised by anyone beating anyone this year.  It's going to be very interesting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2016, 07:52:19 PM
Etta beats BW 5-4 then drops the 2nd half of the DH 10-0.  On one hand if I'm BW I'm happy to get away from the river with a split anytime.  On the other hand I gave up 4 unearned runs in game 1 so I can't help but pine for that sweep that I needed.

On another note, I'd be curious to hear how the Etta guys on here think their pitching staff is shaping up.  As an outsider I'm not sold.  It's one of the main reasons I think this season is going to be wide open.

Not sure what the rest of the schedule is doing, but Mount has already postponed ONU again.  It's now pushed to Tuesday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2016, 04:39:42 PM
The weather is creating a heck of a logjam in the schedule with midweek OAC DH's starting.  Mount @ JCU had to be pushed from Tue. to Wed. due to ONU continuing to be pushed back from Sat.  I would imagine others are in the same boat with the OAC DH's piling up.  Definitely going to test the depth of some pitching staffs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 12, 2016, 12:04:47 PM
Looks like Otterbein's DH at Capital got moved to Thursday, and Otterbein is still playing their DH with Marietta as scheduled for Wed. 

Helps Otterbein, as now they'll have their top 2 pitchers vs Marietta's #3/4.  But then Otterbein has to play a DH on thurs at Capital, and another dh on Saturday vs John Carroll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2016, 12:44:28 PM
ONU @ Mount was pushed back now to Thursday with JCU remaining tomorrow.  They're in the same boat as Ott (and probably others) with OAC DH's Wed, Thu and Sat this week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 13, 2016, 04:23:07 PM
Not a great start for my Raiders today.  They got completely shut down by JCU's #3 starter, Vargo.  1 run on 3 hits in a 6-1 loss in game 1.

BW beat up on Berg 12-3 in game 1.

Ott topped Etta 6-2 in Westerville.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2016, 08:38:53 AM
That was a big sweep for BW yesterday.  That gets them right back in it. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on April 14, 2016, 10:14:35 AM
BW also did not use Zimmerman yesterday, which was refreshing to see since he threw 122 pitches on Sunday.  Would have been disappointed if he started on 3 days rest after that many pitches in his previous start.  It will be interesting to see if he throws in their game against Wooster today or they keep him fresh for the weekend OAC series against Wilmington.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2016, 12:32:40 PM
An inning at most maybe?  If I was Harrison I wouldn't throw him at all today though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2016, 07:47:02 PM
A split at JCU and now Mount sweeps ONU in Alliance today.  Both their offense and their pitching is erratic this season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2016, 09:17:36 AM
Ott swept Cap yesterday dropping Cap to 3-3.  Cap has Musky today.  If they throw Wellman today things line up pretty well for Mount playing Cap tomorrow.  You can't imagine they'll have much pitching left playing the last of 3 OAC DH's in 3 days.  It looks like Mount held back Toma for Cap.  A sweep would get them right back into the thick of it. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 15, 2016, 11:41:26 AM
current standings...

MAR  6-2   
OTT   5-3   
JCU    5-3   
B-W  5-3   
CAP     3-3   
MUS  3-3   
ONU  4-4   
HEID 4-4   
MU    3-5   
WIL   0-8   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Sir Battlescars on April 15, 2016, 12:42:47 PM
Interesting year so far, this definitely seems to be a down year for the Conference. Does anyone have the pitching to make it out the first weekend of the playoffs?

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 15, 2016, 01:21:48 PM
Quote from: Sir Battlescars on April 15, 2016, 12:42:47 PM
Interesting year so far, this definitely seems to be a down year for the Conference. Does anyone have the pitching to make it out the first weekend of the playoffs?

do you mean win a Regional?  there is only one weekend of the playoffs before the World Series.

anything can happen in mid May, that's still a long way off, lots of games to be played.  Once you're in a Regional, everyone has a shot.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 15, 2016, 10:55:30 PM
Quote from: Sir Battlescars on April 15, 2016, 12:42:47 PM
Interesting year so far, this definitely seems to be a down year for the Conference. Does anyone have the pitching to make it out the first weekend of the playoffs?
No team in the OAC has a chance to win a regional unless they have some incredible improvement in pitching. And there won't be an at large bid either with the records this year so it's only going to be the winner of the conference tournament even getting to a regional.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 16, 2016, 06:31:25 PM
Ouch, that might hurt. Wilmington gets their 1st conference win in game 2 vs BW 6-5
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 16, 2016, 06:34:51 PM
Marietta takes care of business on the road with a SWEEP of Heidelberg.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 16, 2016, 07:47:28 PM
Mount is trying to GIVE away this sweep at Cap.  Scored a pair to go up 7-5 in the 11th, but they're not doing very well closing it out right now.

HUGE back to back strikeouts with the bases loaded in a 7-7 game by Ceriani.  Showed some mettle right there.

The highs...the lows.  Raiders lose on a walk off single in the 12th after a walk, balk, E5 sequence put the winning run on 3rd with 1 down.  The only consistent thing is that they're always inconsistent. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 17, 2016, 09:38:35 AM
Quote from: motorman on April 16, 2016, 06:31:25 PM
Ouch, that might hurt. Wilmington gets their 1st conference win in game 2 vs BW 6-5

That's a big loss when it drops you 2 games behind Etta.  With a split at Etta in the back pocket already, BW would have been in a good position if they'd stayed a game back in solo 2nd.  Of course, the way this year is going BW will get swept by someone random to get pushed back into the pack anyway. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 18, 2016, 02:36:05 PM
Some thoughts on the season thus far. 

I'm amazed that BW and JCU are playing sub .500 baseball on the season.  I expected them to be far better than that this year. 

I'm equally surprised that Capital is 6 games above .500 on the season.  I would not have guessed that either.  Wellman, their top arm did not pitch a single inning in their 42 games in 4 day stretch.  He has terrific numbers and it will be interesting to see if he throws on Tuesday here in Marietta. 

Otterbein is a modest surprise.  They were kind of an unknown coming into the season, for me at least.  They have had a really good year thus far. 

Muskingum is also a modest surprise.  It seems like Capital, Muskingum are two programs where the expectations are not particularly high.  The fact they are 15-12 on the year, and in the thick of the race (of course 9 of the 10 are in the thick of the race). 

Northern is a modest surprise.  I thought they would be better than what they are currently showing. 

I didn't have lofty expectations for Mount this year.  And I was one of a few who felt Heidelberg would be down significantly from what they had been given what they had lost to graduation and transfer.  Neither of their results are surprising to me at this point in the season. 

Someone had asked if the Marietta people thought they had the pitching to be competitive in a playoff situation.  Perhaps.  Herstine has been pretty good.  The bullpen combo of Antill and Stover has been outstanding most of the time (a few lapses here and there, but overall VERY STRONG).  Crowl has struggled early, but had an outstanding outing in Tiffin, and his previous outing was pretty good until late in the game.  Nieberding is improved, but he is a guy that once they get to the third or fourth time through the order, he isn't as effective.  They are missing one key part of their rotation, Lutrell.  He was expected to be their #4 guy, and he has yet to pitch an inning this season.  There is hope that he may get back and contribute, but that is a bit of an unknown outside the walls of the team.  If he can get back and can throw quality innings, I think it could boost the staff to the point where they could be competitive in the regionals, if they make it. 

Unfortunately this year looks like there is only going to be one team from the OAC in the NCAA tournament.  There is an outside chance that Marietta could be worthy of an at large birth.  They need to finish strong, win the regular season OAC title, and win a couple of the remaining non conference games, and they would have a pretty good resume.  Currently they have played the 2nd toughest schedule (according to the SOS page on D3baseball.com).  That number will take a hit on Saturday when they play Wilmington.  I wouldn't plan on the at large birth though. 


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on April 20, 2016, 11:35:43 AM
updated standings....

MARIETTA   9-3   
OTTERBEIN   8-4   
JOHN CARROLL   8-4   
BALDWIN WALLACE   8-4   
CAPITAL   6-6   
MUSKINGUM   5-5   
OHIO NORTHERN   5-7   
MOUNT UNION   4-6   
HEIDELBERG   4-8   
WILMINGTON   1-11   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 20, 2016, 11:41:25 PM
Mount swept Musky today 5-4 and 13-5 to improve to 6-6.  I've given them some grief this year about consistency, but they're a blown save at Cap away from being on an 8 game winning streak.  7 of 8 is still very good and I'll gladly eat crow for as long as they keep it going.  Big test at Ott Saturday.  They need at least a split there since they're currently 2 games out of 4th (and 3rd and 2nd).

p.s.  Didn't think I'd say this, but that sweep by Berg is killing them.  Berg is down and as time goes on that's looking worse and worse.  Needed a split in Tiffin. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 21, 2016, 12:36:22 PM
Some interesting tidbits as I skim the stats during lunch...

1)  Mount's Scott Sherwood is leading the OAC in BA at .429 currently.  Right behind him is Cap's Logan Bastin at .426.  Why does that matter?  Because Bastin is already tops in the OAC in HR (7) and RBI (43).  And a guy slugging over .700 with only 6 strikeouts?  Sheesh.  When was the last time a Crusader was in the conversation for POY?

2)  Ott's rotation is statistically really good this year.  Kemer (4-0, 1.89), Prince (4-1, 2.11) and Mally (6-0, 2.54) have all been very good.  Kemer and Prince are also recording more than 1 K per IP.  I don't think anyone else has 3 starters that have been that good.  Vargo has been throwing pretty well for JCU so perhaps they'd be closest.     

3)  ONU only has 2 starters hitting over .300 currently.  That is not surprising given their struggles to score sometimes.  It seems the graduation losses to the lineup were a bit too much.

4)  I mentioned the slow start of Nieto for BW so it's only fair that I point out that he's been mashing lately.  He's hitting .471 with 9 XBH and 11 RBI during his current 8 game hitting streak.  He's also driven in at least 1 run in 10 straight.  That slump is definitely over.

5)  I was floored that Ott's Simmerman is 13 for 14 on SB.  Both the number and the success rate.  For anyone that hasn't seen him, Simmerman is Ott's big 1B.  Just never thought of him as a SB threat, but he's like a Hug type evidently.  Big, athletic kid.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 23, 2016, 03:02:04 PM
Man, BW is absolutely burying Cap in game 1 today.  It's 16-0 after 7 with Zimmerman working on the shutout.  Nieto is still hot reaching base every time up so far (3-3, 2 BB).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on April 24, 2016, 01:59:50 PM
Tournament field pretty close to set after yesterday. A 3 game gap with only 4 to play between 4th place and the rest of the field.

Seems only way OAC gets 2 teams to regionals is if someone upsets Marietta in the OAC Tournament. Otterbein's SOS is very weak which won't help them in national comparisons. Of course they've done very well against Marietta in the conference tournament in recent years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 25, 2016, 08:22:50 AM
Pretty close is right.

Without diving deeply into tie break situations:  Marietta has clinched a spot in the tournament.  Otterbein and BW can clinch a spot with a win.

JCU has two tough series @MAR and vs. CAP. 

Must win 4 to get in. (and may still need help)
Capital has a series with ONU and at JCU. 
Northern has a series with Cap and hosts Marietta. 
Mount has a series with Wilmington and at BW
Muskingum has a series with BW and at Otterbein. 

Berg - I suppose there is a remote outside chance which involves stars aligning and multi way ties, etc.  But at the very least:  They would have to win all four of their games (Otterbein and Wilimington) hope JCU loses all four of theirs, and hope other teams get into a tie break situation, because in a two way tie with JCU, Berg is out.

Wilimington - was eliminated from playoff contention in early February. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 26, 2016, 09:54:34 AM
No OAC teams received a top 25 vote this week.  I wonder when was the last time that happened this deep into the season?

I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw Mount hung 17 on Allegheny yesterday...and lost.  It reminded me of when I was playing and our team ERA was a touchdown.  It's like the first Ott game Saturday.  Mount is up 10-6 heading into the bottom of the 7th.  Some teams would be pretty confident up 4 with 9 outs to go.  I saw that and thought "Oh crap, we need to score a couple more in the 8th/9th."  Ott ended up winning it on a walk-off solo HR in the 9th, 11-10. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on April 26, 2016, 12:59:53 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 26, 2016, 09:54:34 AM
No OAC teams received a top 25 vote this week.  I wonder when was the last time that happened this deep into the season?

Marietta received some votes but starting with the week 7 poll, no Ohio teams at all in the Top 25 since the poll started
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 03, 2016, 09:14:58 AM
So Marietta keeps pace in front of the pack.

If Marietta and otterbein tie, otterbein wins the tiebreak because of their sweep of bw. If Marietta, bw and otterbein tie, otter bein wins the tiebreak.

If Marietta and bw tie, Marietta has the tie breaker over bw, due to their split with otterbein.

Marietta has two games at Ada.  Otterbein has two games with musky. And bw has four games to play against mount and muskingum.

Mount is in the mix. They must win their last two at bw, and get some help from jcu losing their last two to capital. I think jcu would have the tiebreaker over mount Union.

Capital is in the  hunt. They have to win all four (which would also include jcu losing their last two, since they play)

Northern is in a similar position, have to win four (capital then Marietta) and hope for jcu losses.

Jcu needs to win both to be sure, but could be ok with one win.

The rest are likely out.

Tough spot for northern,  throw off against capital to save 1-2 for Marietta and lose, and your season is over.  Throw 1-2 against cap and match 3-4 vs Marietta's 1-2 and you are in an uphill fight.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mideastfan2 on May 03, 2016, 11:11:45 AM
^^^^  updated standings to go along with the above post.

MAR   13-3   
OTT   12-4   
B-W   10-4   
JCU   9-7   
MUC   8-8   
CAP   6-8   
ONU   6-8   
MUS   6-8   
HEI   5-11   
WIL   1-15   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2016, 09:42:23 AM
Onu visits capital today with both teams needing a sweep to stay in the hunt for the post season.

mount Union plays at bw tomorrow needing a sweep to stay in the mix.


Two big series before the weekend slate which have playoff implications. Losses for either mount, onu or cap all but eliminate them from the top four. And even with sweeps, any will need cap to sweep jcu on Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2016, 12:41:26 PM
I think Mount splits to end the season at a perfectly balanced 19-19, 9-9.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 05, 2016, 10:35:06 PM
Cap could still be in the mix if they sweep jcu. The crusaders and polar bears split and are now both 7-9. Two jcu losses put them at 9-9, a point at which chaos could possibly come into play.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 06, 2016, 03:12:23 PM
BW takes the opener in Berea 8-0.  Mount had a shot as they trailed just 2-0 in the bottom of the 7th, but the wheels came off in a 6 run inning for the Jackets aided by 5 Raider errors in the frame.  You're not going to overcome 6 errors in the field and 1-14 hitting with runners on against a good team. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2016, 06:50:14 PM
I believe Ott is hosting the OAC tourney with ONU sweeping Etta today.  BW can also finish 14-4 but they were swept by Ott.  The Jackets could end up a loss to Wilm away from hosting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2016, 03:04:46 PM
With the Raiders' season over I must say I'm sad to see this group of seniors go.  Weber has been a huge bonus behind the plate these last two seasons.  He hit .393 and drove in 73 runs in 70 games.  That's fantastic for anyone, let alone your catcher.  He's probably going to be 1st team All-OAC again this year and go down as the 2nd best catcher ever at Mount.  That's a heck of a career.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 10, 2016, 08:21:26 AM
The OAC is likely (almost definitely) going to be a one team bid for the NCAA post season.  I don't think Otterbein has enough SOS (ranked 202, their last second attempt at improvement was marginal) to warrant an at large bid, they would be squarely "on the bubble" if they didn't win the conference tourney.  Marietta blew what slim chances they had as a pool C by dropping two games to ONU (and a game to capital, and so on and so forth). 

Kind of surprising to me, actually.  I thought BW and JCU would be much better than they were.  Both had a strong group of returning players.  Otterbein was a bit of a surprise to me to win the regular season title.  They were kind of a wild card for that fourth playoff spot in my eyes along with Northern.  But they did enough to get the job done.  After such amazing seasons for the OAC the past few years, this year didn't live up to the expectations that I had for any of the teams (including my own favorite team). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2016, 10:07:25 AM
About the only positive thing is that the OAC tournament should be exciting.  Any of them can win it.  Having it at Fishbaugh as opposed to Schaly will make it even more interesting too.  Fishbaugh is definitely not as pitcher friendly.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 11, 2016, 11:48:59 AM
Last time I went (tried to go to) a game at Otterbein was in like 1992 or 93, and the game was moved to Delaware because the grass on Otterbein's field died.  So they played at OWU instead.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 11, 2016, 02:09:01 PM
has the OAC always been at the top seed or has it ever been at a neutral site?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2016, 03:14:04 PM
It's been at the top seed as long as I can remember.  The OAC has been pretty constant with the full round robin regular season DH, top 4 make the conference tourney, top seed hosts the tourney, tourney is double elimination.  About the only thing they've tinkered with over the years is whether the regular season DH's are two 9 inning games, a 7 and a 9, two 7's, etc. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 11, 2016, 04:14:37 PM
That is what I thought. As you know that woudl be tough to do in the NCAC as they are not a round robin league, so that is why they do the neutral site.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2016, 12:12:20 PM
The other bad thing about Ott...no audio and evidently still no live stats.  I tried to follow when Mount played there, but the live stats were still unchanged from when Ott hosted Etta 4/13.  Yeah well, guess what?  Still that way today.  Nothing like not having live stats working for a month and also during the OAC tournament.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on May 12, 2016, 12:51:48 PM
Yikes, that is not good. How can you be host and not have live stats working.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2016, 03:24:25 PM
Ott takes game 1 over JCU 9-2.  Kemer went the distance for the Cards allowing 5 hits and striking out 11. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 13, 2016, 08:17:04 AM
Marietta nips BW 1-0 behind a 9IP performance from Herstine.  He allowed 2 hits and struck out 10.  Game time for the winners has been pushed back to 10:00 this morning (instead of 9:30).

Zimmerman pitched for BW and went the whole way for the jackets.  He allowed 7 hits and just the lone earned run.  I don't have his strike out numbers from that one handy.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2016, 10:06:51 AM
Some really good pitching yesterday.  3 of the 4 starters threw CG's and those guys gave up 3 total runs.  Good time for a gem from Herstine too.  I think those two guys are the two best starting pitchers in the OAC this year so that would have been a fun game to watch.   

I would say BW should take care of JCU today because it definitely seems like BW is the better team, but JCU has Lapaglia going I'm sure so that could make things very interesting.  Ott and Etta both have their entire staff rested and ready outside of one guy so either one should be in good shape even if they're forced into a 2nd game today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 13, 2016, 01:21:42 PM
Marietta pounds out 22 hits and defeats Otterbein 13-8.  Otterbein did score five runs in the bottom of the ninth as Stover struggled a little and didn't get a lot of great defensive help.  Marietta had 10 different batters in the game and all 10 had at least one hit.  Crowl threw pretty well through 5 2/3. 

It will be interesting to try and follow the JCU BW game.  The way the stats have been working for Otterbein is sketchy. 

The forecast for Saturday looks a bit sketchy so tomorrows games could get pushed to SUnday.  That and the fact that this morning's game started 30 minutes late and then ran long on top of that, may make it difficult to get the losers bracket championship done tonight which could screw things up even more.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 16, 2016, 01:52:24 PM
Congratulations to Mark Zimmerman for being named OAC player of the year.  This is a well deserved honor.  He is a tremendous position player and an outstanding pitcher.  There weren't any others who were more deserving in the OAC this year, IMO. 

Also congratulations to Christian Herstine for being named the pitcher of the year.  He had a very good year, and was also well deserving of this recognition.  I have personally met Christian and his parents.  This is a classy young man who comes from a great family.  An honor well deserved for certain.  The only other pitcher I thought to be as deserving was Zimmerman, but Herstine's numbers were a little bit better.

Congrats to the other players recognized for their all conference recognition as well.  There are some quality ball players in the OAC.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 17, 2016, 11:58:39 AM
Zimmerman had to get one of the two awards.  He's clearly the best all around player this year when you account for his pitching and middle IF play.  If he isn't the Tekulve winner then Herstine was the obvious choice there.  If they would have named Zimmerman the Tekulve winner instead then I would say that Kent from Ott would have been the Rafeld winner.

I usually scratch my head over at least a couple of the selections (or at least what tier they were selected) but I really didn't this year. 

Good luck to Etta this week!  Carry that OAC flag for us. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 19, 2016, 12:05:54 PM
Etta lost a heart breaker yesterday.  Feel bad for Herstine who was 1 out away from the CG 2-1 win.  Time for Crowl to step up for them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 29, 2016, 09:54:28 AM
Belated congrats to the 2 OAC guys drafted:

Tyler Kent (Ott) taken in the 26th round by the Phillies.

Mark Zimmerman (BW) taken in the 33rd round by the Padres.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 01, 2016, 11:50:06 AM
Mark Zimmerman is pitching really well in A ball.  21 K and only 3 BB in 16.1 IP.  WHIP under 1.00 and ERA of 1.10.  Great work out of the bullpen so far.  Hope he keeps it up.

Current Stats (http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=66451bfb)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on November 09, 2016, 05:58:18 PM
Just reading about the NCAA tourney format changes coming in 2019.  D3 will essentially mirror D1.  There will be regionals (4 teams at top seed's campus), then the regional champs advance to a best of 5 super regional.  The 8 super regional winners advance to the World Series.  There's an article on the front page about the World Series having to change venues in 2019 due to the schedule changes resulting from the new format. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ElRetornodelEspencio on November 13, 2016, 01:33:57 AM
Basically you only need 3 pitchers to get to and win a super regional.

Even more advantage to the southern schools that don't normally develop depth in pitching.

NCAA is bound and determined to make D3 as southern-dominated as the other divisions they previously ruined.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on November 13, 2016, 11:34:02 PM
Quote from: ElRetornodelEspencio on November 13, 2016, 01:33:57 AM
NCAA is bound and determined to make D3 as southern-dominated as the other divisions they previously ruined.

Lets see the number of south teams that won a title - NC Wesleyan x2, Texas (Trinity), la Verne, Chapman, Cal State Stanislaus x2.

7 teams in 40 years.  Add George Fox and Linfield and you get less than 9 champions from 2 of 8 regions.  Maybe those "southern teams" need an assist to make it fair against the northern teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 14, 2016, 04:32:41 PM
Jim,
What advantages, do you see the northern teams having over the southern teams, in the current system?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on November 14, 2016, 05:37:31 PM
Quote from: Jim Dixon on November 13, 2016, 11:34:02 PM
Quote from: ElRetornodelEspencio on November 13, 2016, 01:33:57 AM
NCAA is bound and determined to make D3 as southern-dominated as the other divisions they previously ruined.

Lets see the number of south teams that won a title - NC Wesleyan x2, Texas (Trinity), la Verne, Chapman, Cal State Stanislaus x2.

7 teams in 40 years.  Add George Fox and Linfield and you get less than 9 champions from 2 of 8 regions.  Maybe those "southern teams" need an assist to make it fair against the northern teams.

I don't know the exact breakdown, but statistically wouldn't they have far fewer in large part because there are barely any schools in the south relative to the north?  There are 21 D3 schools in OH alone.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on November 15, 2016, 05:44:25 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on November 14, 2016, 05:37:31 PM

I don't know the exact breakdown, but statistically wouldn't they have far fewer in large part because there are barely any schools in the south relative to the north?  There are 21 D3 schools in OH alone.

I expect it is more complicated than that, as the format of the playoffs has changed over time.   The real mark of representation is teams that make the playoffs. 

I actually like well pitched games and spreading the playoffs over another week will allow more games with the top of the rotation.  I do not want to go to the extent that the D-I series goes, with just two games per day in the early part of the College World Series.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on November 16, 2016, 08:06:00 PM
West Region has had 7 champions.
West Region has only ~35 -38 teams, ~10% of D3.

The move to the new format is coming from someone above my pay grade.

Also, the ASC, the NWC and half of the SCAC have been members of D3 less than.20 years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ElRetornodelEspencio on November 19, 2016, 03:00:43 PM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on November 14, 2016, 04:32:41 PM
Jim,
What advantages, do you see the northern teams having over the southern teams, in the current system?

I notice this question didn't get an answer. Pretty obvious why.

The one thing that used to make D3 unique and interesting were the dense nature of the regional and championships. Now having the longer tournament and the super regionals makes it no different than any other level. Nothing unique about it.

The weird thing is that getting through an 8 team regional was tougher than getting through the championship with 8 teams because of how they set it up. Making it so you never have to go deep into your staff in a tournament just tips the scales away from the teams that build depth over their season because it's a short season.

Make it so southern teams can't start playing home games until mid-March and see how they like that.

It's practically like two different divisions in D1 and most of D2. That's what made D3 different. But it won't anymore if the NCAA has their way.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ElRetornodelEspencio on November 19, 2016, 03:10:10 PM
Quote from: Jim Dixon on November 15, 2016, 05:44:25 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on November 14, 2016, 05:37:31 PM

I don't know the exact breakdown, but statistically wouldn't they have far fewer in large part because there are barely any schools in the south relative to the north?  There are 21 D3 schools in OH alone.

I expect it is more complicated than that, as the format of the playoffs has changed over time.   The real mark of representation is teams that make the playoffs. 

I actually like well pitched games and spreading the playoffs over another week will allow more games with the top of the rotation.  I do not want to go to the extent that the D-I series goes, with just two games per day in the early part of the College World Series.

Until this past terrible tournament, the championship game winner hadn't allowed more than 5 runs since 2003.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ElRetornodelEspencio on November 19, 2016, 03:17:58 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on November 16, 2016, 08:06:00 PM
West Region has had 7 champions.
West Region has only ~35 -38 teams, ~10% of D3.

The move to the new format is coming from someone above my pay grade.

Also, the ASC, the NWC and half of the SCAC have been members of D3 less than.20 years.

So they didn't need any advantages. But they're getting them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on November 29, 2016, 03:58:15 PM
Otterbein has lost a player to Wooster Sam Severance.

Sam played in 16 games as a Freshman and 20 games as a Sophomore.
http://otterbeincardinals.com/cumestats.aspx?path=baseball&year=2016

My younger son played with Sam for one summer.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 10, 2017, 01:08:28 PM
I noticed something interesting.  BW and Mount will play their OAC DH in FL on 3/11.  That's a full 2 weeks before the first OAC DH up north.  I don't recall seeing OAC teams play their OAC games down south before.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on January 10, 2017, 03:01:37 PM
Wooster, used to play Kenyon in Florida, on a regular basis for there first game. But Wooster has a later spring break. And Kenyon is in Florida for Two weeks.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 10, 2017, 04:42:59 PM
I've seen NCAC schools do it.  The UAA played all of their conference games in FL.  I've just never seen the OAC do it.  It makes me wonder if there is a scheduling issue later in the season or something.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on January 13, 2017, 08:26:09 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 10, 2017, 04:42:59 PM
I've seen NCAC schools do it.  The UAA played all of their conference games in FL.  I've just never seen the OAC do it.  It makes me wonder if there is a scheduling issue later in the season or something.

The SUNY AC and some Mid-Atlantic schools have also done this in the past.  the Midwest will have a mid season conference round robin which is an other interesting scheduling idea.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 19, 2017, 01:05:04 PM
Preseason top 25 is out.  A quick skim for Mideast teams:

5)  La Roche
14)  Wooster
23)  Marietta

Adrian is just a few spots outside of the top 25.

The most surprising thing to me was someone giving Wooster a 1st place vote.  As in #1...in the country.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 01, 2017, 07:47:56 PM
Running through Mount's schedule in FL.  Pretty predictable.

SUNY Poly (18-20)
Wartburg (34-13)
Nebraska Wesleyan (12-28)
Bridgewater (22-19)
DeSales (27-15)
BW (23-20)

Outside of the OAC DH the Raiders have a couple of pretty good teams based on last year's record.  But both of those are single games.  The rest are all the DH's.  This seems to be the MO for FL.  A couple tough games and then 8 against average or worse teams.  Now I'm not demanding a schedule like Etta plays or something because half the time Mount is pretty average themselves.  It is what it is.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 26, 2017, 03:46:40 PM
The regular season is under way:

BW (4-0) and Ott (3-0) are out of the gate quickly.  Ott is playing their 2nd game against Alma currently so they could be 4-0 later today also.  And frankly, BW is blowing people out so far.  Their closest game is a 10-4 win over Anderson in the 2nd game of that DH (12-0 in game 1).

Speaking of Anderson that is Berg's only game played.  Anderson rallied late to win 12-11.

Cap swept Waynesburg yesterday in their first action.  They lost 7-3 to Augustana today.  Good to see Wellman back on the mound for the Crusaders. 

JCU dropped a pair to Allegheny.  Vargo started their opener, but a freshman (Fred Moore) started their 2nd game.  He went 5 and allowed 2 unearned.

Wilm actually opened last weekend.  They were swept in a 3 game set at Sewanee.  The Quakers only scored 5 runs total. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 27, 2017, 11:43:14 PM
I was poking around in some box scores.  BW has quite a few young guys throwing.  Harrison does a damn good job there.  He's got that program stocked.  Not saying they're gonna make another NCAA run this year, but that guy does a nice job.  There's really no drop off now that he's got it going. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on February 28, 2017, 09:00:29 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 27, 2017, 11:43:14 PM
I was poking around in some box scores.  BW has quite a few young guys throwing.  Harrison does a damn good job there.  He's got that program stocked.  Not saying they're gonna make another NCAA run this year, but that guy does a nice job.  There's really no drop off now that he's got it going. 
I agree, he gets a lot of very good talent there. He recruited my son very hard, The school just was not the right fit.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2017, 02:52:22 PM
Cap beat Alma and RHIT.  They're now off to a very solid 4-1 start. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 02, 2017, 03:45:25 PM
Cap beat Lyndon St(?) 9-0 and they lead them 3-0 in game 2.

Ott moved into the top 25 this week at #24.  They beat Neumann 5-4 to stay perfect at 5-0.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 02, 2017, 05:17:37 PM
Looking at Ott's schedule it looks much more stout this year than in the past. I am happy to see that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2017, 07:50:43 AM
The OAC really gets cranked up this weekend.  Multiple additional teams open.

Cap improved to 7-1 beating Neumann yesterday.  The Crusaders lone loss so far is to 8-1 Augustana.  Not sure how much stock to put in it, but it's a great start for their confidence if nothing else.

Ott also notched their 6th win yesterday.  They returned a lot of experienced arms and it's showing so far.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2017, 02:19:11 PM
Mount wins their opener 10-8 over SUNY-Poly.  Congratulations to Coach Hesse on his 400th win at Mount.  I believe I read earlier that he would be 1 of 8 coaches in OAC history with 400 or more wins. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 06, 2017, 10:22:16 AM
Mount dropped to 2-1 after losing 6-5 in 10 innings to Wartburg yesterday.  Down 5-4 in the 9th the Raiders had 2nd and 3rd and nobody out, but only pushed across the tying run.

Etta opened in OH and swept OWU at their place.  Tale of 2 games as the first game was tight (4-1) while the 2nd was not so much (19-2). 

ONU is off to a 3-1 start and is getting really good pitching so far.  Freshman Jack Schaller tossed 5 innings of 1 hit ball with 11 K's in his debut.  Not terrible.  I looked at their roster against their box scores and they have a couple seniors, but that's about it.  Lots of So/Jr in the field.

Ott has dropped 3 of their last 4 and now sits at 7-3.  They lost 3-0 to SJF and 5-4 to Wartburg so I wouldn't celebrate their demise just yet.  They also seem to kick the ball around a little.  I feel like every time I look at one of their box scores they have unearned runs sprinkled in there.

JCU split with Haverford.  They're now 2-3.  Freshman Fred Moore picked up his first collegiate W in the 8-2 win.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2017, 02:40:32 PM
Etta moved up a couple spots to #18 this week.  Ott dropped just outside the top 25 while BW took their spot appearing at #24 this week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on March 08, 2017, 10:53:30 AM
Congrats go to Mount's Paul Hesse for his 400th win. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2017, 03:54:43 PM
Interesting battle today...Wooster and Cap are hurling their aces against each other this afternoon.  Woo is up 2-1 in the 6th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on March 09, 2017, 05:21:08 PM
Woo wins 3-1. By the way Doc, those gold shirts where part of the uni's dating back to the late 70's when I arrived on campus. Can't say anyone liked them then.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2017, 05:41:08 PM
Really good pitching from Houdek/Saran for Wooster.  Cap definitely raised an eyebrow though.  They lead off the 9th with 2 hits so they had a shot to tie that thing up possibly.  At 8-3 and looking at their results so far I don't think Cap is going to be an easy out in OAC play this year.  They're going to cause a few problems.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2017, 05:46:53 PM
Quote from: old scot on March 09, 2017, 05:21:08 PM
Woo wins 3-1. By the way Doc, those gold shirts where part of the uni's dating back to the late 70's when I arrived on campus. Can't say anyone liked them then.

At the risk of Jim Dixon renaming the Mideast boards "Project Runway" I'll comment on the gold Wooster jerseys.  My issue with them is the shade of gold I think.  I just don't think it looks good as a primary jersey color with white or gray pants.  It does, however, look really good as a trim color on their other jerseys.  Another team who wears something similar (albeit more yellow than true gold) is BW.  I don't care for their yellow jerseys either, but when you get dealt brown and yellow I feel sorry for you more than anything else.  Good luck trying to make that look good.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 09, 2017, 07:44:57 PM
Mount started a freshman and relieved him with a freshman no doubt because the BW DH is looming, but it is not doing them any favors today.  Walks, wild pitches, errors...this is not how you want to head into a big DH.  DeSales has scored in every inning so far and it's ugly (13-3).  I don't fault Hesse for not even thinking about using an arm you'd go to in a conference DH.  You just can't.  Especially this early in the season where your guys might not have the gas tank they'd have in May.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 11, 2017, 04:20:34 PM
OAC play is officially under way.  Mount takes the opener 4-1 over BW.  That's a big win out of the gate.  Phil Mary pitched a great game going 8 and surrendering only an unearned run. 

Mount completes the sweep winning the 2nd game 5-0.  Noah Skladan tossed 7.2 shutout innings.  BW really struggled all day with the bats.  In this game they did not get a base hit after the 3rd inning until the 8th inning.  During that 4 inning stretch they had three 1-2-3 innings and just one base runner (walk) .  Tough to win that way.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on March 11, 2017, 06:04:38 PM
When dealt with an odd color combination, the home whites are the best.  Apparetnly the only place orange and maroon go together is at Virginia Tech. 

Baldwin Wallace can always look at how Wyoming deals with yellow and brown uniforms.

....and no truth to the rumor to the name change to project runaway :)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2017, 11:43:13 AM
Mount improved to 9-3 by sweeping their northern debut at Witt yesterday.  They got pretty good pitching all day as they won 6-2 and 5-3.  DH Joey Keleman is off to a hot start in his first season as a starter (.512) as he hit his 3rd and 4th homers of the spring yesterday.  Goodall (.488) is picking up where he left off last year when he was All-OAC as a soph.  He plated the winning runs in the 2nd game with a 2 out double in the 8th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2017, 03:53:32 PM
Mount is halfway through its DH at Westminster today.  They took the opener 7-0 behind McCristal's strong start.  The big blow offensively was a Goodall grand slam.  Soph. Nate Owen lead off and went 2-3 with 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB.  He's battling with Jr. Angelo Cruz for the 3rd OF spot early on.       

Mount completes the sweep with a 4-2 win.  Satovich traded in his 1st baseman's glove for a regular one and went 5.2 IP to get the win.  He had a 1 hit shutout through 5 before running into a little trouble in the 6th.  Owen is trying to force Hesse to keep him in the lineup.  He went 4-4 with a 2B in game 2.  Mount is now 11-3 overall.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2017, 08:50:47 PM
Looking at the results as we head toward the first full weekend of OAC play has me thinking this may be a wild year.  So many head scratching results.

Etta, IMO, is the favorite even sitting at 5-5 currently.  Because Etta always plays an obscene OOC schedule I only really put stock in the results if they roll into OAC play 11-1 or something because then we know the rest of us are probably in trouble that year.  Anything at or around .500 tells me they're what they almost always are...good enough to win the OAC.

Ott (11-4) is the only ranked team we have currently.  They've got some good pitching.  I don't know much about their bats to be honest.  They're kind of like Mount in my mind right now...nice record, but not an overly impressive resume.  The big difference being Ott owns a win over #16 Augustana (12-1).  They also played SJF tough losing 3-0.  The Cards would be my pick for #2 in the OAC right now.

ONU (8-6) caught my eye taking 2 of 3 from TMC in the last week.  Their worst loss is to Bridgewater (8-10).  Other than that it's SJF and teams with .667 or better WP.  Nothing to really raise an eyebrow I guess was my point there.

Mount (11-3) is off to a better start than I expected.  Their pitching has been a pleasant surprise.  But since it's my own team I am always overly cautious.  The sweep of BW was eye opening, especially the pitching performances.  They open at Etta Saturday.  If they leave town with a split...   

BW (10-4) has 4 losses.  Mount twice, Wheaton and a D1 team (Central Michigan).  They've scored double digits in half of their games.  Other than against Mount they at least 4 runs in every game.  My point being that they are going to be a royal pain when they come up on your schedule.  I still have no idea how Mount completely shut them down.  They came out today and knocked around OWU's ace so whatever slump they had is over it appears.

Cap (9-5) is an enigma.  They went toe to toe with Wooster.  Really good game.  They've got several legit hitters and they've got a couple quality arms in the rotation (and another in the pen).  I just question if they have enough depth.  They're going to beat some people in OAC play.  And honestly, I'd love to see them make the top 4 just to liven things up with new blood.  Maybe Mount and Cap can add a purple flavor this year.       

I'm not sold on Berg (8-6) right now.  Their best win is over Wheaton (9-4).  But they've also lost to Anderson (5-7) and just dropped 2 of 3 to Manchester (3-7).  Hajdu has been really good for them, but after him?  Yikes.  Their next most reliable starter is a freshman with a 4.57 ERA.  And that's not a knock on that kid (Deemer).  That's really good for a freshman, but Berg isn't accustomed to being forced to use a freshman as their #2.  I am not confident about what happens when they get into the meat of the OAC schedule where weekday conference games force your #3/4 guys to start multiple OAC games.

I think JCU (6-8) is a little down this year.  I just don't think they have the arms right now.         
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2017, 03:51:06 PM
Mount wins the opener at Etta 8-3 behind a dominant performance from Mary.  He allowed 1 run on 3 hits over 7 IP.  I listened to it on the radio and Etta just really could not get much going offensively against him.  He's now 4-0 with dominant starts against BW and Etta.  Not bad.  The Pios also uncharacteristically had 4 IF errors.  They showed some signs of life in the 9th scoring a couple runs and stringing some hits together so they're going to come out swinging in game 2 I'm sure. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2017, 06:58:59 PM
Opening weekend results:

Ott at ONU:  Ott swept 9-4 and 4-2.  This was the biggest result of the opening weekend IMO.  I viewed ONU as one of those teams that you need to split with to hold serve so sweeping them (in my mind) gives you a nice leg up out of the gate.  Ott's pitching continues to be strong.  I may revise my opinion and move Ott into my current favorite position.

Cap at Berg:  Berg swept 11-2 and 4-2.  Hajdu was very good in game 1 and Wellman wasn't able to match him after 4 innings.  Deemer was strong in game 2 for Berg.  If Bastin and Smith aren't going it's hard for Cap to score a lot.

Mount at Etta:  Split.  I talked about the opener in my prior post.  Etta bounced back and got the split with an 8-2 win in the 2nd game.  Stover started for Etta and pitched pretty well, especially early.  Skladan pitched decently for Mount, but some self-inflicted issues hurt him (throwing error, walks).  In both games it seemed like Etta hit around the Mount pen a little, but I asked for a split and I got it so I am one satisfied fan.   

JCU at BW: Split  Game 1 went as I expected with BW winning 8-3.  Lovick pitched well (8 IP, 2 R) while Vargo didn't pitch quite as well (5 IP, 6 R, 4 ER).  Part of that can be attributed to BW having IMO a better lineup.  But then in game 2 the tables completely flipped.  JCU got a solid start from Servidio (5 IP, 2 R) while they hit around Cody pretty good (1.1 IP, 6 ER).  BW kicked it around to the tune of 5 errors, but it didn't matter.  JCU out hit them 17-8 in a 12-5 win.  As always, any time you're playing another team with legit OAC tourney hopes a split holds serve.  Good work by JCU getting it done. 

Musky at Wilm:  Split  The fish dropped the opener 5-3 so salvaging a split was absolutely a must.  Getting swept by Wilm opening weekend isn't a stumble, that's falling in a ditch.  You've got some work to do just to avoid the basement.  Musky did what they had to, but even in game 2 the Quakers showed some grit banging out 16 hits including a couple homers from the middle of their order.  It was 9-7 Musky heading to the 9th so this was no easy split.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2017, 06:37:15 PM
Mount wins their home opener over OWU this afternoon to improve to 13-4 overall.  They were up 10-2, but made things a little interesting giving up 3 runs in the 9th to win 10-5.  Keleman went 3-4 with 3 RBI including his 5th homer.  Satovich went 7 strong allowing just 2 unearned runs.  Goodall did not play today.  He came up a little gimpy at one point in the Etta DH, but stayed in.  Hopefully it's just a precaution to let him heal up for Saturday.

Speaking of guys missing time, I noticed that Chris Petrucci didn't play at all Saturday for Etta.  Is he hurt?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 30, 2017, 11:26:26 AM
Nice 4-2 win by Musky at Wooster yesterday. 

Cap has dropped 5 straight after losing at Witt yesterday 9-6.  They need a sweep of Wilm Saturday to steady the ship.   

ONU snapped a 6 game skid beating Defiance 5-3.  Storer got his 5th save already.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on March 30, 2017, 04:11:49 PM
Injuries are a significant problem for Marietta this year.

Petrucci has a pulled hamstring.  This is maybe the biggest one of the year. The defense has taken a step backwards without him up the middle.  He is also a quality stick at the plate.  Hopefullly he returns this weekend against Musky and Thomas More.

Tommy Crowl has battled arm problems since last fall.  he was the #2 guy for the past two seasons, and now he's rarely used.

Tanner Wood was a senior who started out the season well hitting the ball.  He was a catcher/DH/Outfielder.  He completely wrecked his non throwing elbow, and is likely out.  He is a senior.

Austin Eaton is a young pitcher who is also hurt.


Marietta is struggling a lot right now.  Pitching is a concern for certain. The hitting is not good and their defense, by normal standards, is just plain bad.  That's not a good combination for a baseball team. 

They were competitive with LaRoche until late home runs blew the games open.  Looks to be a tough year in the southeastern part of the state.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2017, 12:01:08 PM
Wilm at Cap is still on for now.  Everyone else pushed to tomorrow.

Cap got the sweep that they badly needed.  7-4 and 5-0 were the finals.  Brendon Borkey was spectacular in game 2 tossing the CG 4 hitter. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2017, 01:37:47 PM
Early 3-0 leads today for ONU (over JCU) and Ott (over BW).  Mount and Berg are still 0-0 after Mount squandered a 1st and 3rd nobody out situation in the 2nd.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2017, 06:47:22 PM
Mount sweeps Berg 7-6 and 7-6.  Two very different games.  Thoughts on them later.

Nice split for BW against Ott in Westerville.  That's a quality split with how the Cards are looking so far.

ONU swept JCU.  The Streaks gave up 6 and 14 runs.  Their pitching is just not giving them much to work with right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2017, 09:03:03 PM
Tale of two games in Alliance today.  Mount cruised into the 9th in game 1 with a 7-1 lead.  Hajdu was good early and escaped a couple jams, but as he tired they got to him.  Mary was excellent yet again (8 IP, 1 ER).  He came out for the 9th, but plunked the leadoff man and was lifted.  McCristall came in and it just wasn't his day.  5 runs later Satovich hopped over from 1B to the mound and slammed the door with a 3 out save and a 7-6 win that was more exciting than it should have been. 

Game 2 Berg jumped out early and chased Skladan in the 3rd (2.2 IP, 5 ER).  Taylor came in and did a heck of a job keeping Berg under control so Mount could chip away.  Mount scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the 9th winning on a walk off wild pitch to scrape out another 7-6 win.

My takeaways right now:

Phil Mary is having a spectacular season so far.  Against BW, Etta and Berg he is 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA.  Overall 5-0, 0.95 ERA.  I was concerned that Mount might not have a true #1 and I am very happy to be completely wrong on that front.  He's only a sophomore, but Mary is their #1 and a very good one.

Joey Keleman is the best surprise of the season so far.  He's hitting .441 and has team highs with 5 homers, .750 slugging and 21 RBI in 19 games.

Billy Goodall is still really good.  He leads the OAC in hitting at .462 including .524 in the 6 OAC games.  He's slugging .631 and also already has 10 SB.

Sitting at 15-4, 5-1 Mount is definitely better off than I thought they'd be at this point.  If you offered me 5-1 after BW/Etta/Berg I would have jumped at that in a heartbeat.  If I was being truthful I would have said "I'd gladly take 3-3, I'd be very happy with 4-2 and I'd be elated with 5-1."  The most exciting thing to me is that they're young.  The other thing that's exciting is that this squad seems to find ways to win close games late.  They've been very clutch late including in game 2 today.  When one pitcher struggles another guy comes in and picks him up.  They're just playing some good ball right now and as a fan that's fun to follow.       
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 03, 2017, 02:11:57 PM
Etta at Musky was PPD again until tomorrow.  That field must have been a mess this weekend.

Etta sweeps the fish 2-1 (10) and 9-4.  Good to see Petrucci back in the lineup today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2017, 09:38:00 PM
Mount went to Hiram today for a dry run at a midweek DH.  They got excellent starting pitching in both games, but only managed a split.  McCristall tossed 5 shutout innings in a 7-0 win.  Satovich started game 2 and turned in 4 no hit innings.  After a short outing last weekend Skladan threw a couple innings giving up a couple runs.  Taylor came in after the tying run reached base in the bottom of the 7th, but he couldn't close the door eventually surrendered the tying and winning runs in the 3-2 loss.

Looking at the stats one thing that jumped out at me is that Mount loves to run.  They have 5 players with 7 or more steals in 21 games.  52 SB total.  I don't know this, but my hunch is that's tops in the OAC.

Satovich lowered his ERA to 1.61 on the season.  At this point you'd be hard pressed to argue that he isn't their #2 starter based largely on consistency.  He's been very steady. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2017, 03:29:35 PM
Mount takes game 1 in Ada 6-2.  Mary took a no hitter into the 8th before giving up a 1 out single.  He went the distance needing only 72 pitches today.  He was 1 strike away from the CG 1 hit shutout, but ONU strung together a few singles and scored a pair with 2 out.  Still it was another excellent outing for the now 6-0 Mary.

Mount completed the sweep 9-1 over ONU improving to 7-1 in the OAC.  Skladan was outstanding today (7 IP, 0 R, 4 H).  Their pitching continues to be very, very good (3.05 team ERA).

Cap pulled off a nice split at Ott.  The Cards are now 4-2.

Musky also got themselves a split against Berg.  It's really looking like there may be more parity in the OAC this year than we've seen in quite a bit.  Almost no result short of Wilm beating a middle or above team would really surprise me.  Case in point, either team could sweep the Etta/BW DH tomorrow and it wouldn't surprise me at all.  And it seems like that can be said a lot.  Other than Wilm there's really no team you absolutely should sweep.  And there's also no team that's light years better that you should be swept. 

Add to this Sunday's split between Etta and BW.  BW is 3-5 and still lingering around the top 4 after splitting their last 3 DH (JCU, Ott, Etta).  I was not pleased to see JCU knocking Wilm all over the yard right before they play Mount Tuesday.  The Streaks pummeled Wilm 16-0 and 17-2.  JCU is an even 3-3 now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2017, 03:05:12 PM
I'm running out of praise for Phil Mary.  What an incredible season he's putting together.  He hurls his 2nd straight CG today in the opener.  This time it was a 3 hit shutout as Mount beat Cap 1-0.  He also had a career best 10 strikeouts.  He remains perfect at 7-0 on the year and pushes his ERA back below 1 at 0.96.  Brendon Borkey was nearly as impressive going the distance for Cap as the tough luck loser.  Not much offense in this one.  Owen drove in the lone run with a 2 out single in the 6th to score Spellman who singled and stole 2nd right in front of him.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2017, 12:42:24 AM
It just wouldn't feel right if Etta didn't keep figuring out a way to win OAC games.  Even on the season but 2nd in the OAC.

Also, it will never cease to be impressive the job Thompson does at Musky.  Anyone who has ever been to New Concord knows what I mean.  They should really finish 9 or 10 every yr.  They don't and that's a credit to him. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2017, 03:17:58 PM
So Etta is 7-3 right now.  I think they're going to end up 14-4 and 15-3 wouldn't surprise me at all.  Their remaining schedule is Cap, Wilm, JCU and ONU.  Those are the bottom 4 teams in the standings.  Mount needs to keep their foot on the gas because the pinstripes are coming up in the rear view mirror.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 18, 2017, 04:46:04 PM
If Marietta gets going at the plate, they can be a very dangerous team.  That is a big "if" right now.  As a team the Pioneers are hitting a lowly .254.  50 points lower than their worst average in the last decade.  That's good for 9th in the conference too.  Starting pitching has been quite good, suprisingly so.  Oberhelman and Nieberding have exceeded my expectations this year.  Lutrell threw his best game last week.  Crowl who has battled arm issues is showing signs of improvement as well.  The two primary bullpen guys (Stover and Antill) have been solid as well.  The rest of the pen struggles mightily.  But the lack of offensive production could prove to be problematic down the stretch.  It has a tendency to keep teams closer than they should be (Heidelberg pitching was nothing special, yet they looked like killers on the hill last week).  Any other year I would say I like the Pios chances with the schedule they have.  I'm guessing it is going to be pins and needles down the stretch. 

Big double header coming up between Mount and Otterbein.  Mount needs to at least split this to stay in the hunt without help.  A sweep likely will lock it up for them, I think. 



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on April 23, 2017, 06:52:05 PM
Kudos to mount as barring a total flop against a pretty bad Wilmington team will host the oac tourney
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BrowardRaider on May 01, 2017, 02:42:40 PM
Congratulations to Coach Hesse and Mount on winning a regular season championship, best of luck as the second season starts
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 01, 2017, 06:08:36 PM
First OAC title since 1970.  Wow.  Congrats to the entire team and Coach Hesse.  And also the assistants, Evan Knott and Cory Douglass.  Those guys deserve a lot of praise as well for a job well done.  This team just kept finding ways to win close games.  Again and again.  Hopefully the campus gets behind them as they host the OAC tourney.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2017, 08:53:52 AM
Good season for Mount Union.  They were impressive.

1.  Mount 15-2  (clinched top seed)
2.  Marietta 12-4 (clinched #2 seed)
3.  Otterbein 9-7 (@MUSK)
4.  JCU 9-7 (@CAP)

5.  BW 10-8 (Season Complete)
6.  Berg 8-8 (WILM)
7.  ONU 7-9 (@MAR)

The race for third.

Right now Otterbein has the tie breaker over JCU (Otterbein is 1-1 vs. Mount and JCU is 0-2, they split the regular season).  Ott plays at Muskingum. JCU plays at Capital.  Both make the tourney with sweeps on Saturday. 

Berg makes things interesting if (when) they sweep Wilmington to go to 10-8.

So then we get to the potential mess of 10-8 teams. 

OTT is 1-1 vs JCU, 0-2 vs. BERG, 1-1 vs. BW
JCU is 1-1 vs. OTT, 2-0 vs. Berg, 1-1 vs BW
BW is 1-1 vs. OTT, 1-1 vs JCU and 0-2 vs. Berg
Berg is 2-0 vs. OTT, 0-2 vs. JCU and 2-0 vs. BW. 

FOUR WAY TIE
This means OTT and JCU each split, and Berg sweeps Wilmington.

BERG is 4-2 vs the four teams,
JCU is 4-2 vs. the four teams.
OTT is 2-4 vs. the four teams.
BW is 2-4 vs the four teams. 

By my understanding (which could be wrong)  this would eliminate OTT and BW, and JCU would be the 3 and Berg the 4. 

THREE WAY TIES
JCU-Berg-BW  (otterbein sweeps and clinches the 3, JCU splits)

JCU is 3-1
Berg is 2-2
BW is 1-3

JCU is #4

OTT, Berg & BW (JCU sweeps clinches the 3, ott splits)

BERG is 4-0
BW is 1-2
OTT is 1-3

Berg is the 4

BW-JCU-OTT (JCU and OTT both split, Berg loses at least one to Wilmington).

BW is 2-2
JCU is 2-2
OTT is 2-2

So now we go to record vs other teams....BW is 0-2 against Mount, JCU is 0-2 against Mount, OTT is 1-1 against Mount.

Ott is the 3.

For the fourth seed....Both are 0-2 vs. mount, both are 1-1 vs MAR, both are 1-1 vs. OTT, JCU is 2-0 vs. Berg, BW is 0-2 vs. Berg.

JCU is the 4.

Northern gets to sniff around tie break scenarios if they sweep MAR, JCU and BW get swept, and Berg loses one to Wilimington. 

JCU's chances to make the tourney are strong. 
OTT's chances are pretty good.
BW needs a lot of help ( OTT and JCU getting swept and not being in a tie break situation with Berg).
Berg needs two win two and get a little help. 

Clear as mud.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 02, 2017, 10:44:34 AM
I can't believe Ott is in the position they're in.  Splitting with both Mount and Etta they should already have been in easily.  And JCU being in the best position to make it in is equally as perplexing to me.  Just a very strange year all around.  Nothing would shock me this weekend or next. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: joelmama on May 02, 2017, 11:14:50 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 02, 2017, 08:53:52 AM
Good season for Mount Union.  They were impressive.

1.  Mount 15-2  (clinched top seed)
2.  Marietta 12-4 (clinched #2 seed)
3.  Otterbein 9-7 (@MUSK)
4.  JCU 9-7 (@CAP)

5.  BW 10-8 (Season Complete)
6.  Berg 8-8 (WILM)
7.  ONU 7-9 (@MAR)

The race for third.

Right now Otterbein has the tie breaker over JCU (Otterbein is 1-1 vs. Mount and JCU is 0-2, they split the regular season).  Ott plays at Muskingum. JCU plays at Capital.  Both make the tourney with sweeps on Saturday. 

Berg makes things interesting if (when) they sweep Wilmington to go to 10-8.

So then we get to the potential mess of 10-8 teams. 

OTT is 1-1 vs JCU, 0-2 vs. BERG, 1-1 vs. BW
JCU is 1-1 vs. OTT, 2-0 vs. Berg, 1-1 vs BW
BW is 1-1 vs. OTT, 1-1 vs JCU and 0-2 vs. Berg
Berg is 2-0 vs. OTT, 0-2 vs. JCU and 2-0 vs. BW. 

FOUR WAY TIE
This means OTT and JCU each split, and Berg sweeps Wilmington.

BERG is 4-2 vs the four teams,
JCU is 4-2 vs. the four teams.
OTT is 2-4 vs. the four teams.
BW is 2-4 vs the four teams. 

By my understanding (which could be wrong)  this would eliminate OTT and BW, and JCU would be the 3 and Berg the 4. 

THREE WAY TIES
JCU-Berg-BW  (otterbein sweeps and clinches the 3, JCU splits)

JCU is 3-1
Berg is 2-2
BW is 1-3

JCU is #4

OTT, Berg & BW (JCU sweeps clinches the 3, ott splits)

BERG is 4-0
BW is 1-2
OTT is 1-3

Berg is the 4

BW-JCU-OTT (JCU and OTT both split, Berg loses at least one to Wilmington).

BW is 2-2
JCU is 2-2
OTT is 2-2

So now we go to record vs other teams....BW is 0-2 against Mount, JCU is 0-2 against Mount, OTT is 1-1 against Mount.

Ott is the 3.

For the fourth seed....Both are 0-2 vs. mount, both are 1-1 vs MAR, both are 1-1 vs. OTT, JCU is 2-0 vs. Berg, BW is 0-2 vs. Berg.

JCU is the 4.

Northern gets to sniff around tie break scenarios if they sweep MAR, JCU and BW get swept, and Berg loses one to Wilimington. 

JCU's chances to make the tourney are strong. 
OTT's chances are pretty good.
BW needs a lot of help ( OTT and JCU getting swept and not being in a tie break situation with Berg).
Berg needs two win two and get a little help. 

Clear as mud.
That is a lot of work you did there.  I appreciate it very much. :D
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2017, 10:03:11 AM
The field is set:

#1 Mount vs. #4 JCU
#2 Etta vs. #3 Ott

One thought I had was that Etta got their final DH in a day earlier.  If Ott throws Prince it will be on 3 day's rest.

For special awards I'd assume two of the three are no brainers.  Hesse is going to win COY.  Phil Mary is going to win the Tekulve award.  He's 9-0 with 2 saves and an ERA (0.88) more than a run better than the 2nd best guy (2.12).  This is like one of those years when Gasser or Blaski won and it's just a foregone conclusion.  POY is definitely debatable as no one had a "wow!" year.  Donnelly (JCU) and Long (Berg) have to be in the conversation.  Bias aside, Goodall (UMU) has to be a favorite as well. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 08, 2017, 04:08:41 PM
Phil Mary has first team AA type numbers this year.  That 0.88 ERA is insane.  He may be a candidate for national pitcher of the year.  Watched him pitch, and he is not a a power guy, but is ridiculously effective. Locates well and keeps hitters off balance.  He is very deserving. 

I think Hesse is a shoe in for Coach of the Year. 

I really can't speak to any one particular player who stood out to me as a dominating force this year which I saw.  (It won't be someone from Marietta). 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on May 10, 2017, 10:36:49 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on May 08, 2017, 04:08:41 PM
Phil Mary has first team AA type numbers this year.  That 0.88 ERA is insane.  He may be a candidate for national pitcher of the year.  Watched him pitch, and he is not a a power guy, but is ridiculously effective. Locates well and keeps hitters off balance.  He is very deserving. 

I think Hesse is a shoe in for Coach of the Year. 

I really can't speak to any one particular player who stood out to me as a dominating force this year which I saw.  (It won't be someone from Marietta).

Very much in the mode of Tim Kiely from Trinity (Conn.)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2017, 01:17:29 PM
Mount leads JCU 1-0 after 2.  JCU opted to go with freshman Fred Moore on the mound.

Still 1-0 after 5.  After 4 perfect IP from Mary JCU got a 1b from Mittiga in the 5th.  Mount needs to get the bats going and give Mary a little breathing room.

Mount plated a pair in the 6th and the 7th.  5-0 after 8.  Mary is cruising as he just fanned the last 2 batters in the 8th to give him 8 K's on the afternoon.

5-0 FINAL.  Mary throws the CG 4-hit shutout with 9 K's. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2017, 04:06:44 PM
Tough start for Etta.  2 errors in the 1st lead to 3 Ott runs. 

After 6 it's still 3-0.  Prince is stifling the Etta bats so far.  As Harry Doyle would say "1 hit?  That's all we got was 1 god d*mn hit?!"
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: joelmama on May 12, 2017, 10:31:41 AM
Mount throwing away the lead.  3 errors and wild pitch in the first few innings 2-1 Ott in the 4th.  Mount has only given up 1 hit through 4, yet still trail.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2017, 10:53:54 AM
It stings even more considering that 2nd run was scored by a guy that singled and advanced to 2nd on an error by the LF.  Then went to 3rd AND scored on wild pitches.  You can't give away runs when your offense is not exactly on fire of late.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 12, 2017, 03:24:23 PM
What is it with wild pitches today?  JCU blows their win when they allow the tying run to score with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th on a wild pitch.  They're now heading to the 11th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 15, 2017, 11:23:12 AM
As expected, Mount did not get a pool C bid.  I think everyone was in agreement that the OAC was a one bid conference this year so they needed to beat Ott twice on Saturday to make it.  I do feel a little bad for Ott as they got a tough draw being sent out of the Mideast.  D3.com's projected field with them in the Mideast was a much kinder draw.

Thoughts on Mount's season:

The program had never won 30 games and hadn't won the OAC regular season in almost 50 years.  They did both.  Very special season thanks to a team that never ever quit until the 27th out.

Congratulations to Phil Mary and Billy Goodall as they indeed swept the Tekulve and Fisher awards, respectively.  Another program first.  And best of all, they're both back next year.  With those two plus Keleman, Satovich, Skladan they have a nucleus of All-OAC talent returning.

One of my favorite under-the-radar things about the season was Koski.  He struggled mightily for what seemed like forever to him I'm sure.  Hitting below .200 for a long while.  But then he got hot.  And he kept hitting to the point that he was moved from 9th to leadoff late in the season.  He ended up hitting just under .300 on the season.  That's how you want a senior to finish it out.

The biggest question marks for 2018 are first and foremost replacing the entire infield excluding Satovich at 1b.  Secondly, replacing your two main bullpen arms in Taylor (usually first out of the pen) and McCristal (who also doubled as your #3/4 starter).  They also need one of the catchers to grow into that role offensively.  You can't have your catchers hitting under .200 for the season.  Both guys were sophomores so they have time to develop.

Overall, absolutely a joy to follow this 2017 team.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 15, 2017, 02:04:04 PM
BTW, the OAC cracks me up.  I just looked at the release for All-OAC.  You only highlight the stats of two players, your special award winners, and you screw one of them up.  "During the regular season, Mary recorded an 8-3 record in 12 appearances."  10-0...8-3...close enough!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 23, 2017, 12:36:09 PM
Congrats to Phil Mary on being named Mideast Region Pitcher of the Year.  Well deserved.  Our guys earning honors:

1st Team:
SP Phil Mary (Mount)
RP TJ Storer (ONU)
OF Billy Goodall (Mount)

2nd Team:
C Monroe Donnelly (JCU)
DH Cole Nieto (BW)
SP Craig Prince (Ott)
RP Caleb Norton (Ott)

3rd Team:
DH Bryan Stopar (Ott)



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 25, 2017, 10:37:55 AM
D3.com All-America teams are out:

1st Team:  SP Phil Mary (Mount)
2nd Team:  RP TJ Storer (ONU)
HM:  OF Billy Goodall (Mount)

This is the first time ever Mount has had AA teammates in the same season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 18, 2018, 03:44:28 PM
Hopefully the final poll treats us better than the preseason poll.  The OAC was shut out of the top 25 with Mount being the highest ranked at 27.  Ott, Etta and BW are also in ORV.

W&J (3) and Wooster (14) are the only ME region teams in the poll.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on January 19, 2018, 02:45:02 PM
Mount and Wooster square off in their first game of the season on February 25th at Wooster.  It should be an excellent match up.  All American Phil Mary will most likely face off against Nanak Saran, who was 8-0 last year.  Also All American Billy Goodall for Mount and All American Mike Wielansky for Wooster will be on the field.  Lots of talent in this game in addition to those already mentioned.  Hopefully weather allows the game to be played.  I am looking forward to it already.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 20, 2018, 09:24:19 AM
February in Wayne County...I'd definitely opt for following online over visiting Art Murray that day!  Should be a fun way to kick off the season if they can get it in though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 19, 2018, 07:53:20 PM
Checking out the Mount roster.  65 players including 27 freshmen.  Great news to see All-OAC SS Jimmy Scott is back for a 5th year.  That's a big boost to the lineup.  Goodall/Keleman/Scott is a nice heart of the order to build around.  It also looks like Beau Taylor is a 5th year guy too which will help the bullpen.

Seniors:  12
Juniors:  14
Sophomores:  12
Freshmen:  27

Opener still (allegedly) this coming weekend in Wootown.  I'll believe it when I see it even with the turf infield.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 25, 2018, 01:49:20 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 20, 2018, 09:24:19 AM
February in Wayne County...I'd definitely opt for following online over visiting Art Murray that day!  Should be a fun way to kick off the season if they can get it in though.

They're playing ball in Wooster.  Saran vs. Mary to start and both have been touched up early on.  Mary gave up 3 in the 1st, but cruised through the 2nd.  Saran mowed down Mount to open the game, but allowed a couple doubles and a pair of runs in the 2nd.  I can't imagine either is going to throw many innings today based on pitch counts so far.  Woo leads 3-2 after 2.   

Not a great debut for the Raiders.  Woo wins 17-9 and Mount did not play overly well.  4 errors, 9 BB from the staff, 11 K from the lineup. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 03, 2018, 10:49:06 AM
Mount opened their FL trip yesterday with a sweep of Hanover 5-1 and 3-1 to bounce back from the Wooster game.  Mary and Skladan both went the distance fanning 12 and 13, respectively.  Mary surrendered just 2 hits so he seems to be back on track after an unfriendly outing at Art Murray.  Not unexpected early on, but there's been a fair amount of juggling of the lineup.

BW is out of the gate 4-0 with sweeps of Anderson and Oberlin.  The Jackets have surrendered a grand total of 4 runs.  Lovick and Cody started both DH.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2018, 03:37:21 PM
The OAC is off to a nice start down south.  My Raiders moved to 7-1 today sweeping TMC.  Solid sweep if the Saints end up as expected.

BW is sporting an identical 7-1 record so far.  Berg and ONU are both 4-1.  Etta is 3-0.  JCU is 5-2.  Cap went 6-3 in FL then split with OWU (including a head scratching 19-0 win over OWU's ace) to currently sit at 7-4. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2018, 07:14:15 PM
Mount dropped an ugly one today to Rhode Island College(?) 10-9.  Pitching was not pretty...RIC had 8 guys with multiple hits and none of the 4 guys Mount threw were effective.  Despite that it took a 2 run 9th for them to lose this one and snap their 7 game winning streak. 

RIC had scored 80 runs in 8 games coming into today so they clearly can hit a little so I'm not going to panic too much, but I will say that I hope Satovich's knee heals quickly enough for him to start pitching in OAC play.  He's been easing back into 1B this week so that's a good sign.  They can beat anyone in the 1-2 OAC DH with Mary and Skladan going, but they really need Satovich in the rotation for those 3-4 OAC DH. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2018, 12:53:31 PM
We're roughly 1/3 of the way through the season and the OAC doesn't have a team with a losing record.  Wilm swept Bluffton on the road yesterday to get to 7-6.  BW is pacing the group at 12-2 and Lovick and Cody look like they're going to be problems for the rest of us.  They're both throwing the ball very well.  Cody's strikeout numbers are astronomical (he fanned 12 in 7 IP again yesterday).  Like most years this is going to be a battle just to make the OAC tourney. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: hockeyfan77 on March 19, 2018, 01:38:37 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2018, 07:14:15 PM
Mount dropped an ugly one today to Rhode Island College(?) 10-9.  Pitching was not pretty...RIC had 8 guys with multiple hits and none of the 4 guys Mount threw were effective.  Despite that it took a 2 run 9th for them to lose this one and snap their 7 game winning streak. 

RIC had scored 80 runs in 8 games coming into today so they clearly can hit a little so I'm not going to panic too much, but I will say that I hope Satovich's knee heals quickly enough for him to start pitching in OAC play.  He's been easing back into 1B this week so that's a good sign.  They can beat anyone in the 1-2 OAC DH with Mary and Skladan going, but they really need Satovich in the rotation for those 3-4 OAC DH.


RIC has always been able to hit, they are one of the better hitting team in one the better conferences: the little east
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2018, 09:33:30 AM
Tough day for Mount yesterday.  Just no hitting at all.  Dropped a pair at LaRoche 3-1 and 1-0.  Would have been nice to get a split there.  Skladan gave them a shot as he was dominant in the 2nd game (6.2 shutout IP, 9 K), but they gave up a painful walk off in the bottom of the 9th.  Retire the first two batters then give up a triple and a single to lose it.  I'm not sure it would have mattered much as they just were not stringing anything together offensively.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2018, 07:52:33 PM
OAC opening weekend is in the books.  The biggest surprise out of the gate IMO was Cap going on the road (to BW) and sweeping JCU.  And that second game was 11-1 before JCU scored 4 in the bottom of the 9th to make it look slightly more respectable.  That is not a good sign for the Streaks.  Not that Cap is a doormat by any means, but when you start doing the OAC tourney math (and in the OAC that starts day 1) you can't really factor in anything worse than a split against Cap and still get yourself to the top 4 without some improbable stuff happening.  Bottom line is JCU just spent the afternoon digging themselves a big hole.

Close on the heels of that in terms of raised eyebrows was my Raiders sweeping Ott today.  You go into your DH with Ott, Etta, BW angling to at least get a split.  Splitting is not the end of the world because you're at least holding serve.  I figured any outcome was possible today, but a split was most likely.  The only reason I wasn't too surprised was because of what I said earlier...Mount can beat anyone with their 1 and 2.  Case in point: today.  Mary and Skladan both go all 9 and allow a grand total of 1 run all day.  Skladan's CG shutout follows his 6.2 shutout IP against LaRoche so he is absolutely dealing right now.  And since his poor opening start at Wooster Mary is 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA with today being his best start of the year so he has settled in nicely.  Still worried about the bats and the midweek OAC DH, but this is a heck of a start.

Etta and BW split.  See above regarding the palatable splits.  I think these two are the favorites early so I'd guess Brewer and Harrison are both okay with it.

I'm never quite sure what to make of ONU so I don't know how much to read into Berg's sweep there.  Berg is sitting at 12-3 so maybe they're better than recently? 

Musky swept Wilm which I suppose isn't really noteworthy.  Although the Quakers have shown a little bite this year so I thought maybe they steal one here. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on March 25, 2018, 08:36:40 PM
Thanks Dr. Acula...

I am trying to get a feel for "math" in the OAC.

In the ASC, we play 3-game series. That breaks down into these "rules" when playing these teams.  The conference season is eight 3-game series. (The top 8 teams of 11 go to the post-season. McMurry and Belhaven are re-classifying and provisional.)  When you are playing...

Bottom third teams:  At home, must get the sweep.  On the road, better not regret failing to sweep.  (Some bottom third teams in the ASC still have an ace who might beat any of your top 3 starters. Their weaknesses are the other starters and bullpen.)

Middle Third:  At home, must win series. +1 if you sweep. On the road, winning the series gives you +1!

Top Third:  At home, win the series. On the road, win 1 of 3;  2 of 3 on the road, +1!

Can you outline the "rules" for the OAC?  Thanks.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2018, 10:16:00 PM
The OAC does a full round robin regular season with a single DH format.  The reason the math is important from day 1 is because only the top 4 teams (out of 10) make the conference tournament.  Leaving 6 teams out coupled with the way the OAC is typically aligned competitively often means there is very little difference between #4 and #5-7 or even #8.  There are ups and downs for most of the schools, but nearly every year the conference is a dog fight just to make the top 4.  The "math" not to oversimplify it is basically you need to sweep #9 and 10 and go .500 against everyone else.  11-7 nearly always lands you in the top 4.  So my point with JCU today was that most years Cap is in the bottom 1/3 so at WORST you have to split with them.  Likely you need to sweep them.  So you may be 2 games back of the top 4 out of the gate.  That's not a great spot.

Many years ago the regular season was just an 18 game corination for Etta, but those days are gone.  The conference is top to bottom much more competitive.  As a fan I can't complain about that!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on March 25, 2018, 11:34:35 PM
Thanks. Makes sense and I now have a metric to follow the season...  11-7.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2018, 08:45:15 AM
Congrats to freshman Collin Skufca on picking up his first collegiate W in his first start.  He went 6 allowing 1 ER in Mount's 4-2 win over Thiel yesterday.  First inning nerves probably contributed to 3 free passes in the frame, but he settled down and pitched very well after that. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2018, 01:57:05 PM
Mount @ BW is the lone DH today.  Everyone else pushed to Monday due to predicted weather I think.  BW moved start time today up to 11 AM because of it.

Late inning drama in game 1.  As expected Lovick and Mary were locked up in a good pitchers duel.  Both threw well with Lovick taking a no hitter to the 6th.  He departed after 7 in a 2-2 game.  Mount got a 2 out 0-2 solo homer from Keleman in the 9th to take a 3-2 lead, but BW answered with a leadoff solo shot from Taw off Mary in the bottom of the 9th to end his day on the mound.  Mount bounced back with a clutch 2 run single from Stanziano in the 10th and Taylor pitched a 1-2-3 frame to get the W by 5-3 score.  Interestingly BW used Cody in relief of Lovick and he threw around 60 pitches so I'm not sure what they'll do in game 2 now.

Mount completed a big sweep winning 4-1 in game 2.  My thoughts are pretty much unchanged from last weekend...Mount has excellent starting pitching at the top of the rotation and a couple dangerous bats, but overall their lineup is just not overly potent (.270 team avg).  They've done a good job of guys coming up with big hits when needed, but it's a dangerous game to play when you don't hit for a high team average and you also don't hit a lot of XBH.  It puts immense pressure on executing to score runs.

The other concern is the question mark of what you have behind Mary, Skladan and Taylor.  In 4 OAC games you've used 2 starters and 1 reliever total.  That's fantastic news because it means your guys are pitching well (and efficiently), but at some point you're going to need the pen beyond Taylor.

All that being said it's a great day to be a Raider because you're sitting at 4-0 having played 2 of the top contenders.  That's just outstanding work out of the gate.  These guys know how to win close games and as a fan I love the excitement.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2018, 05:00:14 PM
It's always fun to tune into WMOA for an Etta DH.  Makes my work day a little better every time.  Also, Etta took game 1 at Berg 6-1.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on April 04, 2018, 06:54:53 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2018, 05:00:14 PM
It's always fun to tune into WMOA for an Etta DH.  Makes my work day a little better every time.  Also, Etta took game 1 at Berg 6-1.

Hard to find a game actually going on this story week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2018, 01:49:40 PM
Looking at the Musky roster to see where a couple guys are from.  Noticed that they have 5 kids from the same HS in Chino, CA.  I wonder what the connection is there?  Gotta be a former Fish coaching at that HS or something because I don't know how else you end up in New Concord otherwise.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on April 06, 2018, 12:04:19 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2018, 01:49:40 PM
Looking at the Musky roster to see where a couple guys are from.  Noticed that they have 5 kids from the same HS in Chino, CA.  I wonder what the connection is there?  Gotta be a former Fish coaching at that HS or something because I don't know how else you end up in New Concord otherwise.

Or an alumni who had a good experience.  I suspect the two p;layers who are juniors helped recruit the three who are currently freshmen this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2018, 01:10:14 PM
Quote from: Jim Dixon on April 06, 2018, 12:04:19 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2018, 01:49:40 PM
Looking at the Musky roster to see where a couple guys are from.  Noticed that they have 5 kids from the same HS in Chino, CA.  I wonder what the connection is there?  Gotta be a former Fish coaching at that HS or something because I don't know how else you end up in New Concord otherwise.

Or an alumni who had a good experience.  I suspect the two p;layers who are juniors helped recruit the three who are currently freshmen this year.

No doubt, Jim.  I'm sure those upperclassmen had a hand in the 3 newbies.  Thompson is a good guy so I can certainly see an alumnus recommending Musky too. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2018, 05:15:42 PM
BW is really getting their money's worth on that new all turf field this spring.  They got their DH in yesterday while everyone today was of course PPD thanks to the snow.  The Jackets swept Wilm to move to 3-3.  That now gives us 7 teams at .500 currently when you add BW to the half dozen at 2-2. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2018, 07:26:36 PM
Wow.  Just watched the 9th inning of the Etta/Cap game and Grice has to be beside himself.  The ump just stole a split from Cap.  Etta batter takes strike 3 on a full count to end the game, but the ump was evidently too much of a coward to ring him up in Pioneer Park to end the game.  Just frozen behind the dish as the Cap infielders are jogging off the field only to realize the guy really wasn't going to call it.  Of course, the kid then steals 2nd and scores on a bloop single to tie the game and the next kid singles to score the winning run.  You knew that was going to happen though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2018, 10:31:43 AM
ONU sweeps Mount in very ugly fashion as my Raiders played their worst games of the year.  My concerns from earlier were problematic.

Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2018, 01:57:05 PM
My thoughts are pretty much unchanged from last weekend...Mount has excellent starting pitching at the top of the rotation and a couple dangerous bats, but overall their lineup is just not overly potent (.270 team avg).  They've done a good job of guys coming up with big hits when needed, but it's a dangerous game to play when you don't hit for a high team average and you also don't hit a lot of XBH.  It puts immense pressure on executing to score runs.

The double edged sword of you getting to use your top two guys is that you face the opponent's best guys.  The team average continues to dip (.263) and two key guys from the 2017 middle of the order, Scott and Keleman, are struggling at the half way point (both below .250).  This lineup just isn't good enough for those two to not be run producers.

Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2018, 01:57:05 PMThe other concern is the question mark of what you have behind Mary, Skladan and Taylor.  In 4 OAC games you've used 2 starters and 1 reliever total.  That's fantastic news because it means your guys are pitching well (and efficiently), but at some point you're going to need the pen beyond Taylor.

They had to go beyond Taylor and it wasn't pretty.  Game 1 the rest of the bullpen surrendered 8 earned in 2 IP.  It was just an all around bad day for the staff.  Mary and Skladan both had less than A+ stuff for them, Taylor may have come out okay in the box scores, but he allowed inherited runners to score in both games I believe and after that?  Not so good.  Martin just didn't have it (0.1 IP, 6 ER).

The other item that reared its head this week is defensive lapses.  Too many errors.  Mount was down 3-1 in game 1 because they gave up 2 runs on a passed ball.  If the stats are correct Wood has NINE passed balls in 15 games (I know he had two yesterday when I was listening).  You'll live with that if your catcher rakes, but if he's hitting .188 he needs to be a defensive star. 

With Etta's sweep they now sit atop the OAC at 5-1.  Mount needs at least a split tomorrow, but I'm afraid they're going to have to score quite a few runs to get it.  Also, I'm interested to see who starts these games.  Satovich got his first start on the mound last week so maybe that was a test run to see how the knee feels on the mound.  With the complete log jam developing Mount really needs to stay above it heading into Berg Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 13, 2018, 07:59:08 PM
Mount escapes Tiffin with a split today to regain their legs a little after Etta just bludgeoned their staff for 29 runs in their sweep earlier this week.  The good news is that Mount is sitting at 5-5 heading into JCU and the Raiders' schedule was very front loaded.  Their last 6 games are with the 8th-10th place teams currently.  The better news is that Scott and Keleman are really heating up.  Both guys are delivering XBH and driving in runs which completely changes the look of the offense.

The bad news?  The last 7 games the opponents' scores have been 9, 15, 9, 7, 22, 10, 11.  And that includes 4 starts from Mary/Skladan.  The top two will go again against JCU on Wednesday.  If Mount comes out with at least a split they've got a solid shot at the OAC tourney.  With JCU at 6-4 it'd be fantastic to get vintage Mary/Skladan, sweep them and put the Streaks in the rear view for good (their schedule down the stretch is the toughest). 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 23, 2018, 01:22:11 PM
How the OAC tourney race is shaping up.  (School/record/remaining opp.)

1)  Ott (11-3, BW, Etta)
2)  Etta (10-4, JCU, Ott)
3)  ONU (9-5, Musky, Wilm)
4)  BW (9-5, Ott, JCU)

5)  Mount (6-6, Wilm, Cap, Musky)
6)  Berg (7-7, Wilm, Cap)
7)  JCU (7-7, Etta, BW)

At this point barring something crazy I'd say that Ott, Etta and ONU are locks.  I don't see any of them finishing worse than 12-6 with their remaining schedules.  Mount is playing Wilm today which should move them to 8-6 (if it doesn't then they don't deserve to be in this discussion).  Mount has a couple things going for them in the fight for 4th.  First, they swept BW so they would win a tie with BW.  Second, they also swept the leader Ott which I believe is the tie breaker after H2H and would give them the nod in a tie with Berg or JCU whom they split with.  All of the above assumes teams win the games they should on paper and we all know in the OAC that is highly unlikely.  Should be an interesting last couple of weeks. 

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 23, 2018, 03:50:14 PM
^^^ I almost jinxed it within hours as Mount survives a much-uglier-than-anticipated 1-0 win over Wilm in game 1.  Phil Mary throws his second consecutive CG shutout on the heels of doing the same to JCU a few days ago.  It's amazing what 18 scoreless frames can do to the old ERA. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 28, 2018, 05:41:46 PM
Watched the first game in Westerville today.  Cards win 11-10 in extras. If there's a better player in the OAC than Beachy I'd like to see him.  That kid is a stud.   

And yes, I went to Ott instead of going to watch Mount at Cap.  I'm glad I did because Mount lost the opener 3-2 and my car didn't get stolen in Westerville. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 29, 2018, 12:22:28 AM
Mount loses 5-4 in 15 to get swept at Cap.  Cap was 3-11 coming into today. On to 2019!  Good grief.

The only good news of the day is Ott sweeping so hopefully the OAC tourney is here and I can watch.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2018, 02:09:36 PM
This is going to be a fun finish to the season.  Berg and BW deadlocked at 9-7 for the last spot in the OAC tourney.  BW holds the tiebreaker due to H2H, but Berg has Cap to finish up.  BW is sitting there with a sweep of JCU between them and the #4 spot.  A little rivalry DH with the postseason on the line!

As a side note, before the season I mentioned that there is very little difference between a lot of these teams.  Ott is in pole position to win the regular season.  BW has a decent chance of missing the OAC tourney completely.  Let me tell you having watched them play each other there is not a lot of difference between the two.  BW could have just as easily swept Ott.  The Jackets are a good ball club. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2018, 12:57:25 PM
Not a bad week OOC.  Etta sweeps Case, Berg beats LaRoche and Ott beats Franklin.  Racking up some top 25 wins this week.

Unrelated, but I heard yesterday that Cap may be moving their baseball field on campus.  Clowson isn't a bad field, but man it would be nice to actually play in Bexley if you're Cap.  With how scarce land is in Bexley I'm honestly surprised that Cap would pony up and invest that kind of dough in athletics though.  There has to be more to the story.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 05, 2018, 10:27:17 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2018, 02:09:36 PM
This is going to be a fun finish to the season.  Berg and BW deadlocked at 9-7 for the last spot in the OAC tourney.  BW holds the tiebreaker due to H2H, but Berg has Cap to finish up.  BW is sitting there with a sweep of JCU between them and the #4 spot.  A little rivalry DH with the postseason on the line!

As a side note, before the season I mentioned that there is very little difference between a lot of these teams.  Ott is in pole position to win the regular season.  BW has a decent chance of missing the OAC tourney completely.  Let me tell you having watched them play each other there is not a lot of difference between the two.  BW could have just as easily swept Ott.  The Jackets are a good ball club.

Bet you never dreamed Wilmington would sweep ONU and create a potential 3 way tie for 3-4-5 positions!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 06, 2018, 11:28:04 AM
^^^ Absolutely incredible.  I'm not an expert on three-way tiebreakers, but if BW sweeps today to force it I thiiink they'd have to get down to the third tiebreaker to settle it.  All three swept each other (Berg swept ONU, ONU swept BW, BW swept Berg).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: motorman on May 06, 2018, 01:25:28 PM
I think if BW wins both, Berg ends up 5th, if they split Berg is 3rd, ONU is 4th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on May 06, 2018, 03:27:33 PM
Quote from: motorman on May 06, 2018, 01:25:28 PM
I think if BW wins both, Berg ends up 5th, if they split Berg is 3rd, ONU is 4th.

I think tiebreaker is run differential in the head to head games between the 3 teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: joelmama on May 07, 2018, 02:05:07 PM
No. 1 Otterbein (14-4), No. 2 Marietta (12-6), No. 3 Baldwin Wallace (11-7), No. 4 Ohio Northern (11-7)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: joelmama on May 07, 2018, 02:06:52 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on March 25, 2018, 11:34:35 PM
Thanks. Makes sense and I now have a metric to follow the season...  11-7.
No. 1 Otterbein (14-4), No. 2 Marietta (12-6), No. 3 Baldwin Wallace (11-7), No. 4 Ohio Northern (11-7)
Sounds like his advice was pretty accurate.   8-)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 07, 2018, 02:33:45 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on March 25, 2018, 11:34:35 PM
Thanks. Makes sense and I now have a metric to follow the season...  11-7.

Quote from: joelmama on May 07, 2018, 02:05:07 PM
No. 1 Otterbein (14-4), No. 2 Marietta (12-6), No. 3 Baldwin Wallace (11-7), No. 4 Ohio Northern (11-7)
Thank you Dr Acula.

A 12-6 record seems to be a lock. 11-5 still leaves you on the tie-breaker bubble!

What parity in the conference.  Ott's 14-4 is really solid!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2018, 03:18:56 PM
Ott is even more impressive when you remember that they were swept at Mount in the OAC opener so they're 14-2 since that bump in the road.  They went 11-1 in the final 2/3 of the conference schedule. 

I've seen 3 of the 4 teams in the tournament (no ONU) and Ott is the most complete team IMO.  I think BW is the next best of those 3.  BW just seemed like they had more big inning ability and playing at Ott for the tournament that can be dangerous, especially with Taw as a lefty with that short porch in RF.  Etta is solid, but they just don't have a combo like Taw/Marcum in their lineup this year. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2018, 11:15:05 AM
BW dropped the hammer on Etta yesterday 19-5.  4 in the 1st and 7 in the 2nd pretty much put that one to bed early.  Ott got a walk off 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to beat ONU 4-2.

BW using the big inning again this morning.  Jackets are up 9-5 in the 5th and have chased Ott's SP (Putnam).   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 17, 2018, 01:34:10 PM
Etta and BWC BWU were #4 seeds.

Who would have thought both would have lost in the Regional openers?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on May 17, 2018, 01:39:54 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on May 17, 2018, 01:34:10 PM
Etta and BWC BWU were #4 seeds.

Who would have thought both would have lost in the Regional openers?

Since 2012 it's been BWU


Thanks & +1!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 17, 2018, 01:50:41 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on May 17, 2018, 01:34:10 PM
Etta and BWC were #4 seeds.

Who would have thought both would have lost in the Regional openers?

With those 4 vs. 5 games I think it's generally a toss up.  BW had the lead late, but their pen let them down.  Their pitching just didn't go as planned today.  Harrison had to go to Raines earlier than he wanted and then stretch him out probably a little longer than he wanted also.  I'm sure he was expecting Lovick to give him 6 at least.  Just not in the cards today though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 17, 2018, 12:00:57 PM
Heard from another person over the weekend that the new Cap baseball field is happening.  Turf field on campus would be a great upgrade for the program and a nice recruiting tool for Grice.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 19, 2018, 04:30:06 PM
Happy to hear that Mount is moving towards some field upgrades including turf infield and permanent grandstand.  With NE Ohio springs the turf infield is almost a necessity. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on September 25, 2018, 12:48:42 PM
We are seeing more and more Turf fields. Good to hear Mount is upgrading. Wooster's has a turf infield as well. When OWU tore up the reasonably new turf at Selby and replaced it I would not have been surprised if some of it ended up at Littick. However I am not sure any ball player would like to play on a filed with the yard markers still in  place. Several pieces did end up at littick, however they were in the batting cages and possibly the home bull pen.

Interested to see where they plan to put Cap's Ball field. They recruited my son and he went to at least one visit. I asked him if he saw the ball diamond, and he mentioned it never came up. Later when OWU played Cap his first year he understood why.

When one of the local summer teams had a team there, The Columbus Hawks, there was at least once when there was some gun fire, from an unfortunate who had just robbed the Kroger and was fleeing the police on foot. He jumped the fence in the outfield firing behind him and proceeded to jump the next fence into the softball diamond.  From what I hear the teams huddled in the Dug outs.

I believe The turf is an advantage in the summer as well. It allows you to get use out of the facilities for camps, or possibly a summer team rental. There would be less upkeep especially along the base paths. However the mound would still need to be maintained in most cases.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on September 25, 2018, 01:42:18 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on July 17, 2018, 12:00:57 PM
Heard from another person over the weekend that the new Cap baseball field is happening.  Turf field on campus would be a great upgrade for the program and a nice recruiting tool for Grice.
I have always really liked Grice, and have been surprised that he has not done better in the OAC. I hope, if this happens it helps. I wonder if this was already in the works or if Roger pushed for this when he showed up.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 26, 2018, 06:28:11 PM
Yeah, playing your home games at Clowson cannot be a picnic.  It's too bad because the field itself is fine.  I remember every time we played there the Cap coaches would remind us to take bats with us if we were going to get foul balls.  That's always a good sign!

As for Mount, I'm honestly surprised it's taken them this long to turf the infield.  Although if it was reliant on fundraising by the baseball program I understand it more.  I never got the impression that baseball or softball did a ton of that at Mount.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on September 27, 2018, 05:41:28 PM
I used Google maps to look at Capital's campus, I am not sure where they would fit it in, unless they bought up another block.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 28, 2018, 04:51:39 PM
What I heard was that they bought up some adjacent properties that will be razed. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on September 28, 2018, 05:10:53 PM
Only way to get it done. I look forward to hearing more.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on December 26, 2018, 12:09:42 PM
I have not seen this posted Here so I will.

https://www.d3baseball.com/notables/2018/07/wilmington-picks-Vittorio

Vittorio was a long time coach at Dayton.
Does anybody think he has a real chance to impove this program. It has been at the bottom of the OAC for a long time
Last time they were out of the cellar was 2011. Last time they had double digit wins in the conference. (not easy to do) was 2005. Except for last year, when they had 11 wins, they have not posted double digit years since 2008.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 28, 2018, 11:52:36 AM
The guy can certainly run a program so I'd say it's a strong likelihood that they improve.  The problem is what is the ceiling at Wilm?  Small enrollment, sub par facilities, not the best location.  I'd say if he elevates them to a team that wins 6 to 9 OAC games most years that's a huge achievement.  One advantage he will have is already being plugged in with the HS coaches down there.  Who knows, maybe he can pull a pseudo Matt Palm. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on December 28, 2018, 03:02:34 PM
Thanks Dr.
Who knows, maybe he can. Depends on administration support. I hope they do better.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on December 31, 2018, 10:34:14 AM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on September 27, 2018, 05:41:28 PM
I used Google maps to look at Capital's campus, I am not sure where they would fit it in, unless they bought up another block.

Update on Cap...the most recent thing I heard is that the turf field will be going where the tennis courts are currently.  I would imagine that would also eat into that parking lot as well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on December 31, 2018, 10:47:28 AM
Yup, I imagine it will take out the parking lot to the west. If they are going to include seating and a press box of any kind, do you think it would go at all into the practice field? I imagine it will eat into the Lot to the north as well. I wonder what the dimensions will be. And where will the tennis courts go. What will they do with the land where the Baseball diamond currently is? and what about softball.
This will all be very interesting. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 09, 2019, 02:01:04 PM
I noticed on Mount's 2019 roster that Billy Goodall is back for a 5th year.  That's huge for them to be able to plug a player like that into CF and the 3 hole.  He will be chasing several Mount Union career records as well:

--He needs 15 SB to tie the record of 71 held by, ironically, former catcher Rick Mulinix.

--He needs 40 base hits to tie Greg Ferrell with 204 career hits.

--He is currently atop the career batting average list at .401 just ahead of Mulinix and Chris Tucker who both finished at .396.

Bottom line is that Goodall is set up to finish on the Mount Rushmore of Mount Union baseball.  Ferrell, Tucker and Goodall would be your all-time OF.  Pretty cool stuff.  I'm going to enjoy watching him one more spring.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 19, 2019, 10:56:07 AM
We're getting close.  The OAC opens with BW at Ferrum on Friday. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on February 19, 2019, 01:49:35 PM
So who is the favorite in the OAC this year?  BW and Otterbein appear to have a lot of talent returning.  Any besides those two or perennial contender Marietta going to make a run at the OAC title? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on February 19, 2019, 02:45:28 PM
https://www.d3baseball.com/notables/2019/01/previews/mideast-preview

BW!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 19, 2019, 03:27:38 PM
Quote from: Pops33 on February 19, 2019, 01:49:35 PM
So who is the favorite in the OAC this year?  BW and Otterbein appear to have a lot of talent returning.  Any besides those two or perennial contender Marietta going to make a run at the OAC title?

I would say Otterbein, BW then ONU.  The OAC as usual will be a meat grinder again this year.  Etta is always tough.  Berg has a couple nice SP.  The lone layup in Wilm may not be for long with the long-time UD HC taking over there.  That'd make what seemed impossible, possible...the conference somehow becoming more competitive from top to bottom.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on February 19, 2019, 04:22:36 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 19, 2019, 03:27:38 PM
Quote from: Pops33 on February 19, 2019, 01:49:35 PM
So who is the favorite in the OAC this year?  BW and Otterbein appear to have a lot of talent returning.  Any besides those two or perennial contender Marietta going to make a run at the OAC title?

I would say Otterbein, BW then ONU.  The OAC as usual will be a meat grinder again this year.  Etta is always tough.  Berg has a couple nice SP.  The lone layup in Wilm may not be for long with the long-time UD HC taking over there.  That'd make what seemed impossible, possible...the conference somehow becoming more competitive from top to bottom.
You and I have talked before about the magic number of conference wins to earn the number 1 seed in the OAC..

How many will it be in 2019?

Thanks
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on February 19, 2019, 04:24:21 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2018, 10:16:00 PM
The OAC does a full round robin regular season with a single DH format.  The reason the math is important from day 1 is because only the top 4 teams (out of 10) make the conference tournament.  Leaving 6 teams out coupled with the way the OAC is typically aligned competitively often means there is very little difference between #4 and #5-7 or even #8.  There are ups and downs for most of the schools, but nearly every year the conference is a dog fight just to make the top 4.  The "math" not to oversimplify it is basically you need to sweep #9 and 10 and go .500 against everyone else.  11-7 nearly always lands you in the top 4.  So my point with JCU today was that most years Cap is in the bottom 1/3 so at WORST you have to split with them.  Likely you need to sweep them.  So you may be 2 games back of the top 4 out of the gate.  That's not a great spot.

Many years ago the regular season was just an 18 game corination for Etta, but those days are gone.  The conference is top to bottom much more competitive.  As a fan I can't complain about that!

Quote from: joelmama on May 07, 2018, 02:06:52 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on March 25, 2018, 11:34:35 PM
Thanks. Makes sense and I now have a metric to follow the season...  11-7.
No. 1 Otterbein (14-4), No. 2 Marietta (12-6), No. 3 Baldwin Wallace (11-7), No. 4 Ohio Northern (11-7)
Sounds like his advice was pretty accurate.   8-)


See above


Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 19, 2019, 03:27:38 PM
Quote from: Pops33 on February 19, 2019, 01:49:35 PM
So who is the favorite in the OAC this year?  BW and Otterbein appear to have a lot of talent returning.  Any besides those two or perennial contender Marietta going to make a run at the OAC title?

I would say Otterbein, BW then ONU.  The OAC as usual will be a meat grinder again this year.  Etta is always tough.  Berg has a couple nice SP.  The lone layup in Wilm may not be for long with the long-time UD HC taking over there.  That'd make what seemed impossible, possible...the conference somehow becoming more competitive from top to bottom.
We have talked before about the magic number of conference wins to earn the number 1 seed in the OAC.

How many will it be in 2019?

Thanks
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 20, 2019, 10:57:19 AM
Last year it was 14-4.  My hunch is it's right around there again.  I just don't see anyone throwing up a 16-2 run.  There's too much depth and, frankly, I don't think anyone has 4 starters good enough.  If anything I think the chances are better it slides back to 13-5 as opposed to going the other direction.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on February 20, 2019, 03:46:39 PM
QuoteI would say Otterbein, BW then ONU.  The OAC as usual will be a meat grinder again this year.  Etta is always tough.  Berg has a couple nice SP.  The lone layup in Wilm may not be for long with the long-time UD HC taking over there.  That'd make what seemed impossible, possible...the conference somehow becoming more competitive from top to bottom.

Otterbein really underperformed in the post season while BW made some noise.  Each situation can provide its own motivation or momentum.  I think they are both probably locks to make the OAC tournament.   I look forward to seeing how ONU, Berg, Etta, Mount and JCU battle it out this year for the other 2 spots. 
Quote
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 23, 2019, 02:36:02 PM
The OAC is under way!  Still looking for a win 4 games in...

Berg drops their opener 3-1 to Anderson.  Adkins gave up 3 in the 1st then he and Sir Louis threw 7 shutout IP.

BW loses in 10 to Brockport 3-1 as well.  They're playing game 2 now.  Danny Cody was dominant (5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 7 K).

Wilm gets shut out 6-0 by NCC.

Cap drops one 9-2 to Augie and trails Bates 6-3 now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 24, 2019, 03:23:55 PM
The DH that BW played with Brockport was at home.  In Cleveland.  In February.  Oh, the advantage of an all turf field!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 25, 2019, 06:59:16 PM
Rough start for Cap.  They're 0-3 and have scored 7 runs total and about to drop to 0-4 as they're getting shutout in the 9th currently.  They might need to borrow some bats from JCU.  Streaks just hammered Allegheny to the tune of 40 runs in 3 wins. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2019, 06:11:12 PM
I always enjoy the way Etta schedules.  They wear that SOS like a badge of honor.  Anyone, anywhere. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on March 04, 2019, 07:01:28 PM
Yea, they cancelled 3 games in Indy due to weather and 2 days later have two game scheduled with top 10 teams
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2019, 07:53:23 PM
I just read Mount's preview.  They need Goodall and Mary to have 2017ish seasons.  It mentioned that 3 catchers will split time.  Hopefully one of them forces Hesse to play him everyday because it's like the old saying about having 2 QB's.  If you have 3 catchers...


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on March 05, 2019, 08:52:14 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2019, 07:53:23 PM
I just read Mount's preview.  They need Goodall and Mary to have 2017ish seasons.  It mentioned that 3 catchers will split time.  Hopefully one of them forces Hesse to play him everyday because it's like the old saying about having 2 QB's.  If you have 3 catchers...

The old saying about QBs may-or-may-not be true, but I disagree about it's application to catchers.  It is not infrequent that a particular pitcher-catcher combination is superior to the same pitcher with the starting catcher.  Three catchers might be stretching it, but two is IMO quite normal.  (Besides, catcher is undoubtedly the most physically tiring position (except for the arms of pitchers), so having frequent subs is perfectly normal and desirable.)

I haven't checked the stats, but I would be amazed if catchers didn't average fewer games played than any other field position.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: BigPoppa on March 06, 2019, 01:28:46 PM
It could also be related one of them DH'ing or playing another position... nice options to have if all three can hit.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2019, 11:26:56 AM
Quote from: BigPoppa on March 06, 2019, 01:28:46 PM
It could also be related one of them DH'ing or playing another position... nice options to have if all three can hit.

This is true, but was not the case for Mount.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2019, 11:43:32 AM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 05, 2019, 08:52:14 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2019, 07:53:23 PM
I just read Mount's preview.  They need Goodall and Mary to have 2017ish seasons.  It mentioned that 3 catchers will split time.  Hopefully one of them forces Hesse to play him everyday because it's like the old saying about having 2 QB's.  If you have 3 catchers...

The old saying about QBs may-or-may-not be true, but I disagree about it's application to catchers.  It is not infrequent that a particular pitcher-catcher combination is superior to the same pitcher with the starting catcher.

I agree with this...in MLB.  I don't think this is common in D3 college ball.  It's definitely not common in OAC/NCAC play.

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 05, 2019, 08:52:14 PMThree catchers might be stretching it, but two is IMO quite normal.  (Besides, catcher is undoubtedly the most physically tiring position (except for the arms of pitchers), so having frequent subs is perfectly normal and desirable.)

I haven't checked the stats, but I would be amazed if catchers didn't average fewer games played than any other field position.

I agree that catchers play less games than other position players.  I do not agree that it is frequent to play your backup though.  If you have a good catcher the blueprint is usually that he catches every meaningful game including pretty much every game up north.  What you'll see is that the games the backup catches are in FL when they're playing a condensed schedule in heat.  With spring weather in the north you're probably playing a DH on the weekend and 1-2 games during the week if you're lucky.  The starting catcher easily handles that workload.  That's why when you look at the teams with the best catchers last year (BW, Ott, etc.) you see that their catcher started all but 3 of their 45+ games.  The spread out nature of the D3 schedule allows you to get away with that.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 07, 2019, 12:57:23 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2019, 11:43:32 AM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 05, 2019, 08:52:14 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 05, 2019, 07:53:23 PM
I just read Mount's preview.  They need Goodall and Mary to have 2017ish seasons.  It mentioned that 3 catchers will split time.  Hopefully one of them forces Hesse to play him everyday because it's like the old saying about having 2 QB's.  If you have 3 catchers...

The old saying about QBs may-or-may-not be true, but I disagree about it's application to catchers.  It is not infrequent that a particular pitcher-catcher combination is superior to the same pitcher with the starting catcher.

I agree with this...in MLB.  I don't think this is common in D3 college ball.  It's definitely not common in OAC/NCAC play.

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 05, 2019, 08:52:14 PMThree catchers might be stretching it, but two is IMO quite normal.  (Besides, catcher is undoubtedly the most physically tiring position (except for the arms of pitchers), so having frequent subs is perfectly normal and desirable.)

I haven't checked the stats, but I would be amazed if catchers didn't average fewer games played than any other field position.

I agree that catchers play less games than other position players.  I do not agree that it is frequent to play your backup though.  If you have a good catcher the blueprint is usually that he catches every meaningful game including pretty much every game up north.  What you'll see is that the games the backup catches are in FL when they're playing a condensed schedule in heat.  With spring weather in the north you're probably playing a DH on the weekend and 1-2 games during the week if you're lucky.  The starting catcher easily handles that workload.  That's why when you look at the teams with the best catchers last year (BW, Ott, etc.) you see that their catcher started all but 3 of their 45+ games.  The spread out nature of the D3 schedule allows you to get away with that.
I completely agree with this. Especially now that the NCAC has gone away from DH's on Saturday and Sunday for conference games. You used to see the backup catcher more during the weekend. However back then they were 2-7 inning games for the DH, so it was not uncommon for the starter to start all 4. However most teams had the backup start at least one.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2019, 04:09:27 PM
Good point, BLD.  I shouldn't have said the nature of D3 scheduling allows it as I don't follow other conferences closely enough to comment on the entirety of D3.  I should have clarified that I was referring to the conferences I follow...the OAC and NCAC (i.e. conferences that play DH multiple days apart).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on March 07, 2019, 06:24:12 PM
I want to be strong up the middle. Start the No# 1 catcher ,ss 2nd base and centerfield as often as possible.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2019, 05:03:18 PM
Mount started their season off with a sweep of Widener 7-4 and 12-4.  I'm curious what the pitching will be beyond Mary.  He won the opener.  Yesterday it was all sophs aside from him.  Davis started the second game, Ostrowski relieved in both along with Neider in the nightcap.  The soph C Stauffer started both games and played well (2-5, 2 BB, 3 CS).  Mount did not start any juniors in either game.  Soph Joey Nave started at SS both games.

BTW JCU is raking so far.  Geez.     

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2019, 04:32:44 PM
Strong trips for our teams that wrapped up this weekend:

JCU (8-3) surprised me a little.  They're hitting .361 and put up at least 7 runs in 8 of their 11 games.  We knew Mittiga and Keohane could hit, but they're getting production elsewhere including Charpentier (.457, 12 RBI) who replaced Donnelly behind the dish and stepped into the clean up spot.  Mittiga has an insane 21 RBI and 18 runs scored already.  Oh, and he's 8-8 on SB too.

Berg (7-2) also had a very strong trip.  Their only losses are a 2/22 loss 3-1 against Anderson (who also beat Ott already) and a respectable loss to a ranked Misericordia program.  They came back and beat Misericordia a couple days later and added a nice win over a ranked Kean squad too.  The highlight was yesterday's 10-3 win over #5 Swarthmore though.  Adkins wasn't sharp in his first couple starts, but he was good yesterday.  That's the OAC's best win to date I think.  Berg definitely looks strong so far.

ONU (7-3) looked solid.  Their 3 losses were a pair of 4-3 games to 9-0 Coe and a 12-2 loss to #15 Webster. 

Ott (6-4) rattled off 4 straight wins to end their trip and calm my nerves a little about calling them the favorite in the OAC.  I'm still not confident, but I was really regretting that one a week ago when they were sitting at 0-3 fresh off a loss to Mitchell.

BW (4-5) went 4-3 in FL.  The bad:  getting swept by Moravian.  Not a great look.  The good:  Cody pitching (0.55 ERA in 3 starts).  Beating Kean, splitting with Misericordia and sweeping SJF.  The ugly:  they're hitting .233 as a team.  Taw is sputtering at .235 so far.  Very unlike a Harrison team which normally beats the ball around the yard.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2019, 08:19:31 PM
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to uniforms.  But I get it.  I'm not a kid.  My summer team picks jerseys that look like those awful ones the way-too-serious slow pitch softball guys wear.  They're horrible.  They look like something Oregon would wear.  But we only wear white and gray pants, no silly hats and everything matches so I'm fine with it.  That being said, someone in the Mount Union dugout needs to step in and handle what I just saw.  Wearing all white hats with gray pants (http://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/bsb/2018-19/releases/20190310sadgk4) looks like rec league sh!t.  It looks like you forgot your hats and had to borrow them from the other team.  They probably look clean as can be with your whites.  Stick with that.  Please.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 11, 2019, 04:30:09 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2019, 08:19:31 PM
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to uniforms.  But I get it.  I'm not a kid.  My summer team picks jerseys that look like those awful ones the way-too-serious slow pitch softball guys wear.  They're horrible.  They look like something Oregon would wear.  But we only wear white and gray pants, no silly hats and everything matches so I'm fine with it.  That being said, someone in the Mount Union dugout needs to step in and handle what I just saw.  Wearing all white hats with gray pants (http://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/bsb/2018-19/releases/20190310sadgk4) looks like rec league sh!t.  It looks like you forgot your hats and had to borrow them from the other team.  They probably look clean as can be with your whites.  Stick with that.  Please.
Ugh, don't like those at all.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2019, 02:22:19 PM
I'm jealous of Mount's spring trip.  Fly down for 12 varsity games over 10 days in FL.  They also have a couple JV games on varsity off days.  That's a nice spring trip.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 13, 2019, 11:48:51 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 12, 2019, 02:22:19 PM
I'm jealous of Mount's spring trip.  Fly down for 12 varsity games over 10 days in FL.  They also have a couple JV games on varsity off days.  That's a nice spring trip.
Yes it is. OWU is only gone for 5 days.
However it does not compare to Kenyon, 12 days 15 games, 13 if they get there the day before games start. Not sure about JV. that is almost half their games.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2019, 12:06:23 PM
Mount continues their solid start now at 7-1.  They split with a Suffolk team that made the tournament last year.  4-2 loss and 5-2 win.  Yesterday they turned the rotation over again as Mary and Davis both moved to 2-0 against Concordia Moorhead.  Mary was locked in striking out 10 in 6 IP allowing just 1 run on 3 hits.  Davis fell just short of the CG shutout allowing a pair of runs with 1 out in the 7th.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2019, 10:31:22 AM
I just had to mention Mount's nice start and jinx them.  They had a rough day yesterday, especially on the mound, dropping a pair to Salve Regina 14-6 and 12-7.  13 IP, 22 ER, 29 H, 10 BB.  They used 8 different pitchers and only Zelina (0.2 IP) emerged unscathed.  I listened to both games and it was just one of those days you have sometimes.  SR had some extra base hits (mainly from their 3 hitter) but they just kept finding the holes on grounders all day.  Day off for varsity today and try to sweep tomorrow and finish 9-3. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 17, 2019, 12:40:59 PM
Mount swept a not-so-good Knox team easily yesterday 8-1 and 11-0.  Mary and Davis went on 3 days rest and both improved to 3-0.  Mary struck out 10 for the second consecutive start.  Davis fanned 12 and gave up only 2 hits in 6 shutout IP.  It's early, but I'm slightly concerned about the pitching beyond those two.  Satovich was up and down as the #3.  Beyond that they're very young.  Their staff is basically 2 senior starters (Mary, Satovich) and then all sophomores and freshmen.  They had 2 freshmen start games in FL. 

Looking at the OAC schedule the JCU DH is a midweek one meaning the 3-4 will need to face a very dangerous Streaks lineup.  The other midweek is Etta which always presents its own challenges.  The saving grace there is that the Pios have not had great pitching so far albeit against very good teams though.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 18, 2019, 04:26:51 PM
Skimming the OAC box scores I npticed that Taw started for BW on 3/15.  He had 1 AB then subbed out.  He didn't appear in their games 3/16 or 3/17.  Hopefully he isn't hurt.

We're just 5 days away from the start of the OAC schedule.  Hard to believe. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on March 19, 2019, 04:44:14 PM
Taw not in lineup again today. Maybe saving him for Marietta Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on March 19, 2019, 06:13:39 PM
What is up with Etta  4and 7 is not in there mo.. The once national powerhouse seems to have falled on hard time lately
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 19, 2019, 08:29:07 PM
Quote from: old scot on March 19, 2019, 06:13:39 PM
What is up with Etta  4and 7 is not in there mo.. The once national powerhouse seems to have falled on hard time lately

Three of their losses are to top 7 teams.  Two more are to ranked teams so they've played their typical brutal schedule.  But it's funny you mention that because I actually went back and looked it up a few days ago because I was wondering when is the last time they had what I'd call an old school Etta Express team. 

2018:  27-18, 12-6 OAC, 0-2 NCAA
2017:  22-18, 14-4 OAC
2016:  28-17, 13-5 OAC, 0-2 NCAA
2015:  29-18, 12-6 OAC, 1-2 NCAA
2014:  30-16, 15-3 OAC, 1-2 NCAA
2013:  32-14, 15-3 OAC, 3-2 NCAA
2012:  48-8, 16-2 OAC, 11-2 NCAA (National Champs)

Obviously they won it all in 2011 and 2012 so those are the pinnacle of any program.  But I'd say 2013 was the last "typical" Etta season IMO.  Win 30+ games and make a run in the regional.  It's hard to say a program is down that has been in the NCAA tournament 6 of the last 7 years, but the bar is higher on the River.  Making the regional and going two and out is not an acceptable season for them I'd guess.  To me the biggest difference is pitching.  Etta was good all over, but their pitching was always better and deeper.  That seems to have dropped off recently.  I remember watching a game at Etta against Cap which Etta miraculously won and thinking "Borkey is the pitcher that threw in this game."  Never in my life would I have thought Cap's closer would be better than anyone I saw from Etta, but it was true IMO. 

I think Etta is going to probably lose 6 games in the OAC again this year.  This will likely be the 6th straight year they don't win the OAC (regular season).
Their calling card has always been the tough OOC slate, but the OAC has caught up with them so maybe it isn't as necessary as it once was?  This isn't like when I played and everyone was intimidated by Etta and they went 17-1 or 18-0 in the OAC.  No one is afraid of the pinstripes these days.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on March 19, 2019, 10:56:24 PM
Marietta's entire pitching staff is freshmen and sophomores. They did a terrible job last year of developing any young pitching as only one freshman logged any meaningful innings. Looks like they are paying for it this year as they don't have anyone that isn't getting hit. Wiggins is their ace and he is 0-3. Offensively they are pretty young also. Only four juniors and seniors combined are getting playing time. This might be the year they don't qualify for the OAC tournament. They will have to mature quickly in order to avoid falling out of the top four. Saturday at BW should be telling. Cody should be all BW will need to win one game. Not sure Etta has anyone that can pitch well enough to hold BW down enough to win game 2.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2019, 02:22:23 PM
Etta's team ERA is 6.07 which I never thought I'd see something like that.  But I think Etta can certainly split with BW.  The Jackets have uncharacteristically not been hitting well this year.  They're dead last at .246 as a team.  If Taw is still out that is (surprisingly) a manageable lineup to pitch against right now.  Cody has been lights out so that'll be a tall order to score much in game 1.  I'm curious to see if Harrison goes with Raines or Aukerman (who has been excellent so far) in game 2. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on March 20, 2019, 04:13:48 PM
Etta ERA even higher after giving up 15 runs in game one against LaRoche today. Every pitcher gave up at least 2 earned runs in 2 or less innings of work. Staff is a bunch of 5'10" right handers  who throw 80 MPH. Better hitting teams are going to hammer them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2019, 10:12:54 PM
Ott drops to 7-7 with back-to-back losses to .500 teams (OWU, Bluffton).  Another squad that is not hitting the ball like they normally do.  I thought they were the favorites this year, but IMO it looks like Berg and JCU so far.  Berg just pummeled #18 Adrian today 16-5.  I'd slot BW next just because I think their pitching is good enough to keep them in it until their hitting comes around.  Mount has been hitting the crap out of the ball so far (.389 team BA), but I'm wait and see with the pitching and that always makes me nervous.  I'd put them in the group with ONU, Ott and Etta battling for the 4th spot. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: joelmama on March 21, 2019, 01:52:49 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2019, 10:12:54 PM
Ott drops to 7-7 with back-to-back losses to .500 teams (OWU, Bluffton).  Another squad that is not hitting the ball like they normally do.  I thought they were the favorites this year, but IMO it looks like Berg and JCU so far.  Berg just pummeled #18 Adrian today 16-5.  I'd slot BW next just because I think their pitching is good enough to keep them in it until their hitting comes around.  Mount has been hitting the crap out of the ball so far (.389 team BA), but I'm wait and see with the pitching and that always makes me nervous.  I'd put them in the group with ONU, Ott and Etta battling for the 4th spot.
That last part is really hard to imagine that etta could be the middle of the OAC pack.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2019, 06:37:49 PM
Quote from: joelmama on March 21, 2019, 01:52:49 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2019, 10:12:54 PM
Ott drops to 7-7 with back-to-back losses to .500 teams (OWU, Bluffton).  Another squad that is not hitting the ball like they normally do.  I thought they were the favorites this year, but IMO it looks like Berg and JCU so far.  Berg just pummeled #18 Adrian today 16-5.  I'd slot BW next just because I think their pitching is good enough to keep them in it until their hitting comes around.  Mount has been hitting the crap out of the ball so far (.389 team BA), but I'm wait and see with the pitching and that always makes me nervous.  I'd put them in the group with ONU, Ott and Etta battling for the 4th spot.
That last part is really hard to imagine that etta could be the middle of the OAC pack.

Trust me, I have trouble believing it myself, but I think it could happen this year.  I'm not saying they're going to be bad by any stretch.  I'm just saying I wouldn't be shocked if they finished 4th or missed the OAC tournament altogether.  The OAC is brutal right now.  Ott maybe slides back a little but now here are Berg and JCU looking strong.  This is just a strong conference. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 23, 2019, 02:03:42 PM
I have not seen him play yet, but I'm excited to see Mount catcher Coleman Stauffer throw the ball.  He's already picked a guy off 2nd and thrown out the only runner stealing in game 1.  He's now picked off 3 runners and thrown out 7 of 14 attempting to steal on the season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2019, 10:38:33 AM
Interesting start to the OAC schedule yesterday.  All 4 DH were sweeps which obviously is nearly unheard of in this conference.

Wilmington sweeps Musky.  I'll start there just because it's a great thing for the Quakers.  The Quakers closed out both games strong with their pen holding narrow margins in both games.  I really think Musky is the toughest job in the OAC in pretty much any sport.  With a seasoned and successful HC at Wilm now we may see that come to light if Wilm ceases being the annual 10th place team.  My hope just as an OAC fan is that Wilm can build some momentum this year and get a nice class recruited to start being competitive, especially OOC.

JCU swept Cap which is hardly surprising.  Despite the final score in game 1, Cap was hanging around (down 4-1) until JCU's bats finally dealt them the knock out blow in the 7th with 4 more runs.  Cap had the tying run on 3rd and winner on 2nd with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, but popped out and struck out to lose 5-4.  I know I say it every year, but Grice somehow has Cap hanging around in OAC games again and again when I just don't think their roster should be.

Bye kept ONU in it with Berg.  0-0 heading to the 6th, but Jenkins got him for a 3 run bomb in the 6th and then the wheels fell off in the 7th (8 runs).  Berg can hit the ball and they hit for power.  If their pitching holds up they're going to be dangerous.  Adkins was fantastic (7 IP, 0 R, 10 K) and Sir Louis was solid (5 IP, 2 R).  ONU looked like Mount...one good start and not much else from your staff.

Mount took their shovels to Westerville and dug themselves a hole to climb out of.  Mary gave them a strong start exiting in the bottom of the 7th up 2-0 with 2 runners on.  He was quickly handed the ND as both inherited runners scored.  Ott walked it off with a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th to win 6-2.  I was worried that would carry over into game 2 and Ott immediately put a couple on the board in the 1st.  Mount showed some grit answering with 5 in the 2nd, but gave 3 up right away in the 2nd to tie it up.  Davis had good stuff (8 K in 4 IP) but got hit around (6 R, 9 H).  My bigger concern is the bullpen.  I just don't know what they have beyond Mary and Davis right now.  They brought in a starter (Satovich) to relieve Davis.  Not a big deal since this isn't MLB and guys have no issues relieving at this level, but what concerned me was that Ostrowski relieved Mary.  He's always their first reliever.  But after they burned him in game 1 (which I agree wholeheartedly with in a tie game) they went to a starter and then a freshman out of the pen.  They're just going to take some lumps in the bullpen purely because of youth.  It is what it is.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 24, 2019, 05:58:26 PM
I always enjoy listening to Wharff call some Pioneer games.  They dropped game 1 in Berea 11-2, but are trying to hold on up 3-0 in game 2 late.  Sabatine has been excellent on the mound in game 2. 

Man, Marietta is young.  Their #1 and 2 starters are a sophomore and a freshman.  They have only 1 senior/2 juniors with 3 freshman and 3 sophomores starting in the field against BW right now. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 31, 2019, 09:49:23 PM
Berg and Etta split today.  Wiggins pitched very well in the 3-1 win.  Berg bounced back 7-4 in the second game.  I listened to/watched most of the second game.  Brewer could not have been happy in the 9th.  Wenning gets himself in a bit of trouble with 2 outs.  Runners on first and third up 3.  Well, it brings up Hale with the wind howling out to right center.  Yenzi tries to score on a wild pitch and gets thrown out at the plate to end the game.  You just have to let Hale swing the bat there.  It wasn't even that close at home.  He was out pretty easily.  You claw your way to the tying run coming to bat, a guy who can hit it out...and he doesn't even get a chance.  Tough break.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on April 01, 2019, 09:35:39 AM
Wow. You are absolutely correct.  I like aggressive baserunning, but you have to know the situation.  A split with Heidelberg was good, but you have to let your best and most experienced hitter hit.  I am sure that Brewer did not hesitate to point that out.  Splitting with both Heidelberg and BW keeps Marietta in the thick of things for the conference.  Overall, a good weekend for the Pioneers considering that most people probably expected Heidelberg to sweep.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 01, 2019, 10:24:43 PM
Quote from: Pops33 on April 01, 2019, 09:35:39 AM
Wow. You are absolutely correct.  I like aggressive baserunning, but you have to know the situation.  A split with Heidelberg was good, but you have to let your best and most experienced hitter hit.  I am sure that Brewer did not hesitate to point that out.  Splitting with both Heidelberg and BW keeps Marietta in the thick of things for the conference.  Overall, a good weekend for the Pioneers considering that most people probably expected Heidelberg to sweep.

Etta has navigated two of the best teams already with splits.  I'd have to think Brewer isn't upset with where he's at right now.  I posted it before that the formula is to sweep the bottom 2 teams and go 7-7 against the rest.  Etta is right where they need to be.

Cap's split in Ada has ONU in a hole now at 1-3 with a (currently) bad split.  And Cap very easily could have swept the Bears.  Cap blew a 9-5 lead in the 7th and eventually fell 11-10 in 10 innings.  Murkensturm threw a CG in game 2 which Cap won 5-1.  First day of April and he threw 138 pitches.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2019, 03:37:18 PM
Poor Phil Mary.  Another very good start squandered.  Leaves up 2-1.  BW ties the game in the 8th without putting a good swing on a ball (HBP and 3 straight infield singles) then takes the lead on a can of corn.  Frustrating stuff.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2019, 05:28:40 PM
Mount salvaged the split with BW on Tuesday.  That's all they needed there and they got the job done.  With weather pushing that DH back to Tuesday though it would have meant Mary and Davis would pitch today on 3 days rest.  They both already have done it this year (in FL), but Hesse opted to go with his 3/4 at ONU today.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 06, 2019, 10:42:55 PM
Not sure what to make of the OAC now that we're 1/3 of the way through other than JCU is just beating the ball around the yard.  Beyond that who knows.  No one else looks remotely bulletproof.  Etta split with Cap today.  They're 3-3.  Ott split with Musky last week.  BW needed 12 innings to eek out a win over Wilm today.

Teams that are a half step ahead:  JCU.  But not by as much as the 6-0 record would appear.  They've played Cap, Musky and Wilm.  An OAC tourney team is navigating those 3 at 5-1 or 6-0 nearly every year.  You have to.
Teams where they need to be:  BW and Berg.  Neither one has a painful loss yet.  Berg is probably ahead by a nose as sweeping ONU is above sweeping Wilm. 
Teams a half step behind:  Etta and Mount.  Etta's loss to Cap today puts them we'll say a half step behind.  They've already split with BW and Berg which is good news.  Easy places to trip up and get swept.  Mount's sweep by Ott is not a huge blow, but it did trim their margin for error right out of the gate.  Holding serve against BW and ONU with splits steadied the ship.  With Mount's 1/2 going against Etta's 3/4 on Tuesday the Raiders need at least a split down south.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on April 08, 2019, 11:50:46 AM
No idea who Etta throws tomorrow, maybe same two that threw Saturday on 3 days rest. Split against Capital not ideal. After Mount Union have two against Wilmington and two against Muskegon which they now have to sweep. It Mount sweeps them, Etta probably won't make the conference tourney for like the second time in 50 years.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2019, 05:20:05 PM
I would be shocked if Etta threw Wiggins and Sabatine tomorrow.  That's only 2 days rest.  That should be a good DH.  Both squads need at least a split so it's critical for everyone's OAC tourney hopes.  Looks like 70 and sunny there tomorrow.  Great day for a DH.

The Berg/JCU DH is the headliner tomorrow.  Berg gets the first shot to bring JCU back to the pack and create bedlam in the standings. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on April 08, 2019, 07:22:17 PM
Berg /JCU very interesting. JCU a soft 6-0 in OAC , Berg had the best pre league results. JCU sweeps and they will be tough to catch, Berg sweeps puts them back in favorite role and JCU has questions.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 08, 2019, 11:27:27 PM
I think it ends up being classic anti-climatic OAC and Berg and JCU split.  Mount and Etta probably split too.  That's just life in the OAC.  Not a lot separates a lot of the teams. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2019, 03:29:12 PM
Not a good start for bringing JCU back to the pack.  They're up 10-0 in the 8th.  The little bit I watched I saw them hit 2 triples over the OF heads.  The DH is at Kent for some reason.

14-0 final. 

Just heard Brewer mention that Wiggins and Sabatine are not pitching today, but Wiggins wouldn't be pitching even on normal rest today due to a sore elbow. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on April 10, 2019, 10:04:34 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 09, 2019, 03:29:12 PM
Not a good start for bringing JCU back to the pack.  They're up 10-0 in the 8th.  The little bit I watched I saw them hit 2 triples over the OF heads.  The DH is at Kent for some reason.

14-0 final. 

Just heard Brewer mention that Wiggins and Sabatine are not pitching today, but Wiggins wouldn't be pitching even on normal rest today due to a sore elbow.
Thanks for the comment.

Looking at JCU's schedule, I would expect them to be no worse than 7-1 to this point.

The meat of the schedule is in the back half of the regular season.  They play BWC the last weekend of the regular season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 11, 2019, 10:49:19 AM
Good win for BW yesterday at Wooster 7-5.  The Jackets have quietly ended up 17-8, 6-2 so far without their best player.  As always, Harrison has his guys ascending as the season rolls on.  He does such a good job. 

And JCU should not be allowed to face anyone but the opponent's #1 and 2.  Anyone else it seems like they just beat them around the yard.  They hung 21 on Westminster yesterday.  Keohane went 5-7 with 5 R, 6 RBI from the leadoff spot. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on April 11, 2019, 11:29:26 AM
Any idea when Taw is supposed to come back from the broken hand?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2019, 12:46:02 AM
No idea, but anything hand or wrist is not good news for a hitter from what I understand.  But I was a pitcher so what the heck do I know?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 13, 2019, 04:40:49 PM
And things just got interesting...

ONU beats JCU in the opener.  With BW and Ott winning there's currently three teams at 7-2.

How competitive is the conference right now?  Ott needed 10 innings to beat Cap.  Etta needed to score 6 straight runs over the final 3 innings to escape 8-7 over Wilm.  Let that sentence sink in for a minute.  Mount had the tying run on second in the bottom of the 9th with 1 out but Berg hung on 3-2. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 14, 2019, 01:14:22 PM
BW overtakes JCU for the outright lead at 8-2 now.  JCU, Berg and Ott right behind at 7-3.  Etta at 6-4 knocking on the door.

Mount's chances of making the OAC tourney effectively ended yesterday at home.  They would have to sweep out to have any shot.  I don't like their chances against JCU considering JCU rakes and Mount's young staff has been shaky at times.  Mary went yesterday (and pitched well yet again) so it'll be on the shoulders of the youngsters Tuesday.  Mount continues to juggle the starting 9 and the order trying to get something to click.  They had a great team BA, but they struggled against decent or better pitching.  Case in point they were 9th in the OAC in runs scored in OAC games.  That's a tough spot when your team ERA is 5.

As we're deeper into the season it's safe to say this OAC tournament is going to be a battle royal.  There's definitely no clear favorite this year.  BW probably has the inside track because their pitching has been so good all year.  They just seem to have the most quality arms including the presumptive Tekulve winner as their #1 guy.  Aukerman has been excellent as the #2 too.     
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on April 23, 2019, 09:10:44 AM
ONU sweeps Etta, with 4 games left against Wilmington and Musky, they should get into top 4. 12 wins should guarantee a top 4 finish, 11 wins probably, 10 wins probably out. Otterbein and Marietta could both be out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on April 23, 2019, 10:57:41 AM
Updating the board with a discussion we had earlier in the season.

Quote from: Ralph Turner on February 19, 2019, 04:24:21 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2018, 10:16:00 PM
The OAC does a full round robin regular season with a single DH format.  The reason the math is important from day 1 is because only the top 4 teams (out of 10) make the conference tournament.  Leaving 6 teams out coupled with the way the OAC is typically aligned competitively often means there is very little difference between #4 and #5-7 or even #8.  There are ups and downs for most of the schools, but nearly every year the conference is a dog fight just to make the top 4.  The "math" not to oversimplify it is basically you need to sweep #9 and 10 and go .500 against everyone else.  11-7 nearly always lands you in the top 4.  So my point with JCU today was that most years Cap is in the bottom 1/3 so at WORST you have to split with them.  Likely you need to sweep them.  So you may be 2 games back of the top 4 out of the gate.  That's not a great spot.

Many years ago the regular season was just an 18 game corination for Etta, but those days are gone.  The conference is top to bottom much more competitive.  As a fan I can't complain about that!

Quote from: joelmama on May 07, 2018, 02:06:52 PM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on March 25, 2018, 11:34:35 PM
Thanks. Makes sense and I now have a metric to follow the season...  11-7.
No. 1 Otterbein (14-4), No. 2 Marietta (12-6), No. 3 Baldwin Wallace (11-7), No. 4 Ohio Northern (11-7)
Sounds like his advice was pretty accurate.   8-)


See above


Quote from: Dr. Acula on February 19, 2019, 03:27:38 PM
Quote from: Pops33 on February 19, 2019, 01:49:35 PM
So who is the favorite in the OAC this year?  BW and Otterbein appear to have a lot of talent returning.  Any besides those two or perennial contender Marietta going to make a run at the OAC title?

I would say Otterbein, BW then ONU.  The OAC as usual will be a meat grinder again this year.  Etta is always tough.  Berg has a couple nice SP.  The lone layup in Wilm may not be for long with the long-time UD HC taking over there.  That'd make what seemed impossible, possible...the conference somehow becoming more competitive from top to bottom.
We have talked before about the magic number of conference wins to earn the number 1 seed in the OAC.

How many will it be in 2019?

Thanks

Each team has 2 series left with the exception of John Carroll and Otterbein whose series was canceled.

ONU should finish 12-6 (0.667), but the fact that there will not be 2 losses to inflict from the JCU-Ott series might leave ONU out of the tourney.

Ott  (7-5) has BW and Etta. I think that they do not get in unless they sweep both series to finish at 11-5 (0.688). Going 10-6 leaves then at 0.625. (Ott split the series with Heidelberg and lost the series to ONU.)

JCU (8-4) probably needs to reach 11-5 (0.688) to get to the playoffs. They play Etta and BW.

The magic number this year is "( > .667)".


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on April 23, 2019, 12:01:05 PM
Wonder why JCU and Otterbein can't find time to play the two cancelled games? OAC games should take precedence over any non league commitment. Still a week and a half left and pretty good weather forecast this week.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 24, 2019, 11:18:30 PM
If JCU and Ott don't play that DH that's just silly.  Plenty of time to do it.

Also, if you wanna know the definition of depressing it's reading the phrase "Mount hangs on to salvage a split at Wilmington."  RIP 2019 season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on April 25, 2019, 12:14:05 PM
Three most disappointing teams have to be Etta, Mount, and Otterbein. Etta and Mount just didn't find any pitching depth and I'm not sure what to make of Otterbein.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on April 25, 2019, 12:17:39 PM
Looks like Otterbein and JCU now rescheduled for Monday the 29th.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 25, 2019, 03:36:21 PM
Quote from: D3baseballparent on April 25, 2019, 12:14:05 PM
Three most disappointing teams have to be Etta, Mount, and Otterbein. Etta and Mount just didn't find any pitching depth and I'm not sure what to make of Otterbein.

Mount has had bullpen issues all season.  Not surprising with the youth out there.  It's tough to get away with using so many freshmen across the board on the pitching staff.  Hopefully it pays dividends in the future when they have a slew of experienced arms.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 28, 2019, 08:59:30 AM
What a final game at 23rd Street Field for Phil Mary.  He 1 hits Cap in his final start on that mound.  9 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 13 K. So fitting for a kid who has been so good for Mount over this year and his career.  Mount won the game 8-0, but they scored 7 in the 8th so it was a pitcher's duel basically the entire game so Mary was locked in.  Mount scored 2 in the 8th and 1 in the bottom of the 9th to win game 2 on a walk off BB 3-2.

BW gets a big sweep over Ott to keep the pressure on Berg.  Berg was ppd against Wilm yesterday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2019, 09:29:15 AM
Tough loss for Mount in their final home game.  Up 7-1 on Wooster in the 8th they surrender 6 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to fall 9-7.  I'd like to see a video of the 9th because somehow both runs scored when the Wooster batter hit a ball back to the pitcher and ended up scoring on the play.  E1, E9.  I assume the pitcher made a bad throw to 1st and then the RF made a bad throw getting it back in?  Regardless, that would be a first.  Don't think I've ever seen a college kid hit one back to the mound and run around the bases Little League style and score!

JCU at Ott was pushed back to today.  It's definitely not sunny outside here so hopefully they can get it in.

Coming down the home stretch it seems the Tekulve and Rafeld winners might be a foregone conclusion.  I'd think it's Danny Cody and Patrick Keohane.  Keohane became JCU's all-time leader in career hits and runs.  He leads the OAC in hitting at .466 a ridiculous 51 pts clear of the 2nd highest BA.  He's also 1st in slugging, 2nd in homer and 3rd in RBI at 39...from the leadoff spot.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on April 30, 2019, 01:50:17 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2019, 09:29:15 AM
Tough loss for Mount in their final home game.  Up 7-1 on Wooster in the 8th they surrender 6 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to fall 9-7.  I'd like to see a video of the 9th because somehow both runs scored when the Wooster batter hit a ball back to the pitcher and ended up scoring on the play.  E1, E9.  I assume the pitcher made a bad throw to 1st and then the RF made a bad throw getting it back in?  Regardless, that would be a first.  Don't think I've ever seen a college kid hit one back to the mound and run around the bases Little League style and score!

I was listening to the game online .... Wooster batter bunted the ball, the pitcher fielded it and slipped before or during his throw.  The ball got past the first baseman and the batter was heading to third when another errant throw occurred and got past the 3rd baseman and allowed the batter to score.  The Mount announcer even called it a Little League Home Run when he scored.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on April 30, 2019, 02:08:01 PM
Quote from: Pops33 on April 30, 2019, 01:50:17 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 30, 2019, 09:29:15 AM
Tough loss for Mount in their final home game.  Up 7-1 on Wooster in the 8th they surrender 6 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to fall 9-7.  I'd like to see a video of the 9th because somehow both runs scored when the Wooster batter hit a ball back to the pitcher and ended up scoring on the play.  E1, E9.  I assume the pitcher made a bad throw to 1st and then the RF made a bad throw getting it back in?  Regardless, that would be a first.  Don't think I've ever seen a college kid hit one back to the mound and run around the bases Little League style and score!

I was listening to the game online .... Wooster batter bunted the ball, the pitcher fielded it and slipped before or during his throw.  The ball got past the first baseman and the batter was heading to third when another errant throw occurred and got past the 3rd baseman and allowed the batter to score.  The Mount announcer even called it a Little League Home Run when he scored.

Happens all the time.  It was this type of play that led to La Verne winning the 1995 title instead of the powerhouse team UWO came with.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 01, 2019, 01:22:08 PM
JCU and Ott split yesterday.  Powell pushed the correct button in game 1 going with his closer to start the game.  Hoffman went 7 IP allowing only 1 run.  Ott cruised 9-1.  JCU bounced back and took the 2nd game 9-6.

Current OAC race:

12-4   Berg
12-4   BW
10-6   JCU
9-7    ONU
8-8    Etta
8-8    Ott

Berg and BW are in.  JCU just needs a split against BW and they're in.  Ott and Etta play each other and one of them likely needs a sweep to have any shot because ONU is at Wilm.  Anything is possible, but you have to assume that absolute worst case scenario is ONU finishes 10-8.

As a side note, knowing that Mount freaking split with Wilm and is sitting there at 7-9 with Musky this weekend is painful.  They should have had a legit shot at ending up 10-8 and at least having a shot to get in. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on May 04, 2019, 10:33:04 AM
Any idea how tiebreakers work for OAC tourney? BW sweeping JCU yesterday leaves JCU at 10 wins. Either a sweep by Etta or Otterbein puts either at 10 wins. Assuming ONU sweeping Wilmington to get to 11 wins, could be a 2 way tie for 4th. JCU split with both Etta and Otterbein in regular season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2019, 10:05:37 AM
For two teams tied it's H2H then results vs. first place, then second place, etc.  If 3 or more are tied it's run differential in OAC play.  The latter happened a couple years ago and it was a surprise to even some of the coaches.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2019, 03:32:26 PM
Wilm plates a pair in the bottom of the 8th.  4-4.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 06, 2019, 11:08:09 AM
The Raiders wrapped up yesterday with a sweep at Musky.  Phil Mary went the distance allowing 2 ER in game 1 in his final start.  Congratulations to Phil on an exceptional career.  He never pitched fewer than 49 IP in any season.  He finished his career 24-8 with 6 saves and a 2.59 ERA.  For reference, in the OAC if your ERA is under 3.00 you're in the top 10 in the conference most years.  His sophomore season will go down as the best single season most Raider fans have ever seen.  Tekulve winner, Mideast Region POY and All-American.  I doubt I'll ever see 10-0 with a 0.78 ERA in my life.  An incredible season and career.

Billy Goodall, as I posted earlier in the season, is an All-Time OF in program history.  Career leader in hits and stolen bases.  Nick Satovich I was so happy for him that he came back and had a strong senior season (.364) after finally getting back to 100%.  He gritted his teeth and played with pain (and a huge knee brace) after ACL surgery last season.  Bryant Kennedy stepped up as a senior in a huge way raising his BA from .250 last year to .358 with a .500 OBP this year while also finishing second on the team in HR and RBI.  It's going to be tough to replace this group.  A fun group of seniors to follow.  I wish all the seniors good luck as they graduate and start their careers. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 06, 2019, 05:18:55 PM
Etta doesn't make the OAC tourney. When was the last time that happened?
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2019, 12:48:25 PM
Quote from: old scot on May 06, 2019, 05:18:55 PM
Etta doesn't make the OAC tourney. When was the last time that happened?

According to the OAC media guide?  1983.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 07, 2019, 01:01:21 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 05, 2019, 10:05:37 AM
For two teams tied it's H2H then results vs. first place, then second place, etc.  If 3 or more are tied it's run differential in OAC play.  The latter happened a couple years ago and it was a surprise to even some of the coaches.

For the record, this tie breaker rule is H2H first and then run differential is they're all tied in H2H.  This is how ONU got the 3 seed.  They were 4-0 against JCU and Ott.  As best as I can figure out JCU and Ott then start at first place and compare results until a difference exists.  This would be all the way down to Mount Union in 6th place before there was a different result.  Ott swept them and JCU split.  Ott is the 4 seed.

Here's an article from the Plain Dealer (https://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/2015/05/baldwin_wallace_john_carroll_in.html) about the 3 way tie breaker I was referencing from a couple years ago.  It was actually 2015.  Time flies!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on May 07, 2019, 02:35:31 PM
Ironically, the last year Marietta didn't make the OAC tournament they won the National Championship so that season ended pretty well.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on May 07, 2019, 05:52:52 PM
According to Marietta's 2019 Media Guide, the last time they were not in the top 4 in the OAC was 1968.  In 1983, they finished 3rd.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: old scot on May 07, 2019, 07:35:12 PM
d3 baseball parent  You are right.  That's back in my days.  OAC north winner played OAC south winner. No 4 team playoff like now. I think Otterbein won the south and played ONU for the title. I remember this because we (Wooster) beat ONU in our first game and got snowed out in the doubleheader and finished 1 game behind. Etta had a great team. Terry Muholland was there ace . Went on to pitch in the majors.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2019, 11:37:59 AM
Sitting in the office listening to the Ott/BW game.  Interesting tidbit from the Ott radio guy.  He said that it was brought up at the OAC coaches meeting last night about the possibility of expanding the OAC tourney to 5 teams.  They would have a 4 vs. 5 play-in game on Tues with the winner advancing to the double elimination starting on Thurs.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2019, 01:58:29 PM
Ott beats BW 2-1 in the first game today.  Ott again called on their closer Colin Hoffmann to start.  He went all 9 on 113 pitches.  I wonder if Powell wishes he would have used Hoffmann as a starter all season?  Ott did a good job of making Cody work.  He went over 100 pitches in the 6th I believe.  Ott only had 3 hits today, but they did a good job of working counts.

In game 2 ONU leads Berg 1-0 in the 5th.  Good pitching all around today.

ONU beats Berg 9-5 to send the top 2 seeds to the losers draw.  It looked like the Bears had this thing on ice when they scored 4 in the top of the 8th to go up 9-1, but Berg answered with 4 in the bottom half to keep things a little interesting.

ONU and Ott at 9:30 AM tomorrow.  BW and Berg at 12:30 PM in what the website calls the "non-winners" game.  Really?  We can't call it losers?  It's a baseball game.  One team wins, one team loses.  It's not offensive to call the team that lost the loser.  That's just being factual. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2019, 10:47:11 AM
Ott is up 4-0 in the 7th today.  The Cards are using the tried and true recipe of good pitching and timely hitting.  All 4 runs have scored on 2 out hits. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on May 10, 2019, 12:33:41 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2019, 01:58:29 PM
Ott beats BW 2-1 in the first game today.  Ott again called on their closer Colin Hoffmann to start.  He went all 9 on 113 pitches.  I wonder if Powell wishes he would have used Hoffmann as a starter all season?  Ott did a good job of making Cody work.  He went over 100 pitches in the 6th I believe.  Ott only had 3 hits today, but they did a good job of working counts.

In game 2 ONU leads Berg 1-0 in the 5th.  Good pitching all around today.

ONU beats Berg 9-5 to send the top 2 seeds to the losers draw.  It looked like the Bears had this thing on ice when they scored 4 in the top of the 8th to go up 9-1, but Berg answered with 4 in the bottom half to keep things a little interesting.

ONU and Ott at 9:30 AM tomorrow.  BW and Berg at 12:30 PM in what the website calls the "non-winners" game.  Really?  We can't call it losers?  It's a baseball game.  One team wins, one team loses.  It's not offensive to call the team that lost the loser.  That's just being factual.

Hoffman is probably well rested than if he pitched long stints during the season.  Easy to look back but Ott are in a position to win.

I hate calling it a losers bracket, but elimination round, bracket, games works much better than non-winners.  Now don't get me started about first years or freshmen.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2019, 10:23:33 PM
They're absolutely in a position to win, but your best arm also has 44 IP after a CG in the conference tourney.  If I'm the HC I'm kicking myself a little for that.  If they beat Berg tomorrow it's a moot point though as you said.  Win tomorrow and start him in the regional.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2019, 10:45:14 AM
Looking over the projected bracket on the front page it looks like BW is right on the line.  They have them as the first team out.  The crew has Berg in safely and as a 2 seed in their regional.  Ott they're projecting as a 4 seed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on May 13, 2019, 11:18:26 AM
I think it depends on how far BW drops in the Regional Rankings since they went 0-2 in the OAC tournament.  Their record stands at 25-15, with them losing 7 of their last 12, which may make it possible they drop behind both Case and Wooster in the Regional Rankings.  Guessing they BW is out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 13, 2019, 03:55:45 PM
The OAC does get all three in.  BW and Berg are the 2 seeds in their regionals; Ott is the 3 seed in theirs.  The Wooster (Ott) and Adrian (Berg) regionals meet in the super regional effectively making those two 4 team regionals the de facto Mideast regional under the old system.  BW got shipped to the Concordia-Chi regional.  With all of our teams in different spots we're free to root for everyone.  Go carry that flag boys!

p.s. BW and Berg were both in the top 35 in SOS.  Wooster and Case were top 6.  Only one of them won 30 games.  All of them got in.  Glad to see challenging schedules rewarded.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 24, 2019, 09:52:45 AM
Nice job by the OAC.  Keohane is Mideast Player of the Yr. and Cody is Pitcher of the Yr.  Psychas and Mary joined them on 1st team.  Fitzgerald was named COY.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 25, 2019, 04:41:52 PM
Congrats to BW's Danny Cody on being the first D3 player drafted this year (17th round).  Good luck to the young man!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on July 03, 2019, 01:58:33 PM
So JCU let's Thibeault go and makes his top assistant, Ryan Nordquist, the interim HC.  Now Nordquist tweets that he has accepted an asst. job back at BW.  Certainly some moving pieces in UH right now.  The JCU website still shows Nordquist as interim HC.  I hope they make the permanent hire soon because now is when these coaches are out on the road watching recruits.  Every week that goes by is hurting their recruiting.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on September 27, 2019, 09:22:13 AM
Some cool news out of Alliance.  Mount is currently installing a turf infield. (https://twitter.com/umubaseball/status/1174844685162037249)  It looks like the end product will be very similar to what Wooster did.  This is phase 1 of the field upgrades.  The next phase (http://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/bsb/2019-20/releases/20190920d2b152) will include OF turf, new home dugout/pressbox and new grandstands.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on September 28, 2019, 04:31:46 PM
Great news Dr.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 03, 2019, 10:25:24 AM
Wow.  The renovations at Schaly are not too shabby.  With the new turf, wall and the already existing seating and lights they've definitely solidified their crown as the best facility in the the OAC.  Etta field upgrades (https://twitter.com/EttaExpress_MC/status/1179396640362418177)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on October 03, 2019, 11:36:11 AM
On another forum, there was a discussion about facilities at d3, and what was the gold standard. Schaly was one of the field/stadiums mentioned. Wont be many rain outs there in the future.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on October 03, 2019, 03:18:13 PM
I would say Schaly is the best facility in the ME region easily.  Adrian would be the clear #2.  There are others that are nice, but those two have everything.  If you want to see a random D3 school with great facilities check out the University of Scranton. (https://athletics.scranton.edu/Facilities/volpe_field)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 01, 2020, 03:56:51 PM
Some surprising(?) beginnings in the OAC thus far.  Leading that list is Berg (preseason #5) coming out 1-3 with losses to Anderson and Franklin.  Franklin coming off a 16-5 loss to Cap no less.

Etta is out to a 3-0 start.  It raised an eyebrow seeing they just beat Cortland 10-1, but then I saw that Cortland was 4-5 so far so perhaps not their normal selves.

Mount opened their season with a 10-1 win at #20 W&J today in the first half of a DH.  Getting ready to start game 2 so hoping for a sweep.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 07, 2020, 10:56:36 AM
After dropping the second game at W&J and leaving town with a very respectable split to open the season Mount had a far less palatable split to open their FL trip yesterday.  They dropped the opener 6-3 to a Waynesburg squad that came into the game at 1-7.  Bounced back and won the second game 18-5 once they realized they had just lost to a 1-7 team I'm guessing.

And congratulations to freshman Dylan Eaton who picked up his first collegiate win in his first start.  He surrendered a lone unearned run against Waynesburg.  I assumed Davis would be the #1 but beyond that was unclear.  It certainly looks like a youth movement though as Eaton started behind Davis and the DH at W&J both starters were sophomores with Gallant shining there (5 IP, 1 R, 9 K).
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on March 13, 2020, 12:40:20 PM
OWU and Berg playing right now:
http://bergathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
https://bergathletics.com/sports/2019/9/17/berg-athletics-network.aspx
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Bishopleftiesdad on July 14, 2020, 12:10:54 PM
Probably posted elsewhere. However being a baseball fan I will post here.
Capital is changing their mascot. What do you all think.
https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/capital-university-to-retire-crusader-nickname-mascot
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Gray Fox on November 20, 2020, 10:29:36 AM
Quote from: Bishopleftiesdad on July 14, 2020, 12:10:54 PM
Probably posted elsewhere. However being a baseball fan I will post here.
Capital is changing their mascot. What do you all think.
https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/capital-university-to-retire-crusader-nickname-mascot
Interesting.  I wonder what the folks at Mary Hardin Baylor would think of this.
My rival HS in Burbank, CA wants to change their nickname from Indians.  The students are the ones initiating the move.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 03, 2021, 04:35:02 PM
I'm going to miss following the teams in FL during their spring trip.  I'm going to miss the OOC games with the NCAC schools.  But purely from a fan's perspective the OAC baseball season is going to be awesome because it's going to be Thunderdome.  36 OAC games?!  Home and away DH Saturday and Sunday?  This conference beats up on itself in 18 games and now we get 36! 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on February 05, 2021, 12:10:05 PM
I am excited to see the kids play some ball again.  Anyone have any ideas who the favorites are?  I saw Collegiate Baseball has Heidelberg and Marietta in their top 15.  Who else are teams to watch? 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 06, 2021, 02:53:54 PM
On paper Berg is probably the favorite, but that's largely based on 2019 performances.  They got a huge boost with key guys returning for a 5th year:

Jenkins (1st team All-OAC 3B)
Ochoa (1st team All-OAC C)
Smith (1st team All-OAC 2B)
Doran (Starting SS and leadoff hitter)

They also return DeVore who was their starting 1B and cleanup hitter in 2020 so their lineup is going to be dangerous.

Where the big uncertainty lies is with Etta.  They were very young in 2019.  Who knows how much better those kids are by now?  I think after those two it's probably BW and Ott.  That's purely a guess based on looking at the rosters.  For every team the other question is how much bigger/stronger and more ready to make an impact are the now sophomores who basically got no game action last year?  It's going to be fun because there are going to be a slew that emerge as even more of a surprise than normally.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 08, 2021, 12:43:56 PM
I noticed that Dudley Taw is back for BW.  That's a big bat to add to their lineup.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on February 10, 2021, 07:40:09 AM
It seems like he has been there forever, the fifth year is huge.  Definitely a big bat!  Hope they have some pitching to go along with it.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 10, 2021, 09:56:29 PM
OAC play opens up this weekend!  Home and away DH Sat/Sun each week.

Ott vs. Wilm
Berg vs. ONU
Mount vs. Musky
BW vs. JCU
Cap vs. Etta

My purple bias will have me following Mount the closest, but as an OAC fan the two that I'd be focused in on are Berg vs. ONU and definitely the cross town battle up in Cleveland.  There's so much uncertainty after essentially no season last year.  4 conference games in 2 days is really going to test the pitching staffs of every team.  If things don't go according to plan on Saturday things could get ugly in the late game Sunday.  It's like the old days of the NCAC.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 13, 2021, 08:16:18 PM
Evidently these first 2 DH are not OAC games...except for Etta and Cap?  I don't know.  Those games are shown in the OAC standings.

ONU got a nice split with Berg today.  And they dropped the opener in 13 innings so they were neck and neck all day long today.  Tomorrow will be interesting.

Surprise of the day was probably JCU taking a pair from BW.  Honestly from year to year the two teams I always have the toughest time gauging are JCU and ONU.

Second biggest surprise was Wilm giving Ott some trouble in both games today.  Ott needed 4 in the bottom of the 8th to escape 5-2 in game 1.  Wilm trailed 4-3 in the 5th before losing 8-5 in the second game.  Hopefully that's a good sign for the Quakers. 

Good gravy did Etta take Cap to the wood shed.  16-1 and 13-2.  Unfortunately without the benefit of FL and other OOC games before today we really don't know what that means yet.  I mean, we knew Etta was better than Cap.  But is Etta really, really good?  Is Cap really bad?  Did Cap just have one of those days?  Who knows when we're talking about games 1 and 2 of the season.

Mount threw a pair of CG shutouts at Musky 10-0 and 8-0 thanks to Gallant and Davis.  They combined for 22 K, 2 BB and 6 H allowed.  Mazza was 5-7 w/ 2 2B, HR, 5 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB out of the leadoff spot.  For some reason Mount and Musky opted not to play again tomorrow.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 19, 2021, 06:13:34 PM
Musky scrapped their Sunday DH with Mount due to COVID protocol.  Just saw on Twitter that both DH this weekend against Ott have also been canceled by Musky due to COVID protocol.  This mirroring the basketball season when JCU was hampered early on w/ COVID cancelations.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2021, 11:39:03 AM
I think we can safely say Wilm is going to be competitive.  They fell to BW 3-2 and 11-7 yesterday.  And the 11-7 loss was a 9-7 game in the bottom of the 8th.  They're 1-5, but they are not the Quakers of old.  They're not being pushed around.  You better show up or they can beat you.

Etta drilled ONU yesterday 13-1 and 10-1.  They're red hot with the bats through 6 games and they've allowed 8 total runs.  They certainly look like the favorite early on, but Ott is off this weekend due to the COVID issues at Musky so we aren't getting to see them.

Even as a Mount homer I was surprised they went to Tiffin and beat Berg 8-0 and 16-4 yesterday.  Gallant was absolutely spectacular on the mound again with the CG shutout (9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 13 K, 1 BB).  He now has 5 H allowed in 16 IP with 24 K and 1 BB in his 2 starts.  That's just dominating.  Marlowe has got the start in the MIF the last 3 games and has responded by going 10-14.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2021, 06:40:08 PM
Oddly the OAC has opted to change the DH's postponed yesterday to single games on their makeup date.  Not sure of the logic there.  Weekday DH's have been standard in the OAC for years so it's certainly not precedence.  Musky, already down 4 games from their COVID cancelled series with Ott, will now be down another game. 

As for my Raiders, they got a solid split with Ott.  If you would have told me they'd be sitting at 5-3 after opening with Berg and Ott I'm taking that all day long.  This past weekend could have gone badly if not for their incredible bottom of the 9th rally to win game 1 on a walk-off 8-7.  Down to their last strike (0-2 no less) with a runner on 1st down 7-5 they scrapped their way to loading the bases and Weaver smoked a 1-1 pitch to the oppo gap to clear the bases.  I couldn't stop smiling watching the dugout pour out and sprint to mob him at 2nd base.

Berg and BW split.  No surprise.
JCU and ONU split with game 3 going on now (JCU leading 7-5).
Musky swept Cap with game 3 tomorrow.
Etta swept Wilm and will complete the sweep once this third game ends (up 9-0).

I think at this point, even with a comparatively weak schedule to date, Etta looks to be the favorite.  I'd probably slot Ott next right now.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Billy Brubaker on April 01, 2021, 05:38:31 PM
The way Marietta has been putting runs on the board this year, it will be interesting to see how they do against JCU this weekend. Midea started the year strong, making a case as an early candidate for POY, but struggled in his next outing against ONU.

Baldwin Wallace & Otterbein should provide some fireworks as well. Both coming off hard fought splits last weekend against Berg & Mount, respectively.



Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 05, 2021, 12:58:04 PM
The headline of the weekend has to be BW sweeping Ott.  That's massive for both teams.  BW sits alone in 2nd at 10-2 a full 2 games up on Mount (8-4).  Meanwhile Ott has dug themselves an early hole at 2-6.  The thing that right now looks like it could sting the Cards is that there is no makeup on their schedule for the series they had cancelled against Musky.  With all due respect to the Fish, if I'm Ott I want those 4 games.

I was curious to see how Etta would handle JCU.  The answer was pretty easily.  I didn't have any delusions that JCU was going to split the series, but I would have said 50/50 between Etta sweeping or taking 3 of 4.  They swept with little drama.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 19, 2021, 09:27:52 AM
Etta takes 2 of 3 from BW to maintain a comfortable lead atop the standings at 16-2.  Mount overtakes 2nd at 14-6 taking 3 of 4 from JCU.  Osman threw his second straight CG shutout.  In his last three starts he's 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA.

The battle for the 4th spot is going to be intense.  The current standings for 4th through 8th:

ONU 10-9
Muskie  7-7-1
Berg 9-10-1
Ott 7-8
JCU 8-10-1

ONU has gone 8-1 dating back to their win against Mount in the series finale.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on April 19, 2021, 03:45:48 PM
The OAC is always a meat grinder, although Marietta seems to be navigating it pretty well.   Was Mount expected to be near the top of the OAC this year?  Lots of seniors at the top of the stat sheets, so this seems like the year for them.  With their last 8 games against BW and Marietta, Mount should have the opportunity to earn their spot.  Those will be interesting series to watch.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 20, 2021, 12:17:07 PM
I don't know what's going on at Cap, but it seems pretty clear that something is.  I noticed on twitter about a week ago that a young guy tweeted that he was excited to be joining the Cap coaching staff.  I thought that was a little odd considering we're in the middle of the season, but otherwise didn't think much of it.

Then I see Cap asst. Jason Sturgill tweet (https://twitter.com/CoachSturgill/status/1384287742167633920) yesterday "It's with a heavy heart...I officially resigned today as the acting head baseball coach/assistant coach and recruiting coordinator @Cap_Baseball. Will miss the players greatly but I have to stand up for my values."

If Sturgill was acting HC then Grice is already gone I guess?  And now Sturgill resigned?  This seems like a mess. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on April 21, 2021, 07:21:51 PM
When Marietta played Capital the second time, Capital only had one coach, Sturgill. At this point, parents are going to have to help out for the rest of the season. Looks like they will have to start over as a program next year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 22, 2021, 11:48:12 AM
Interestingly Sturgill is no longer listed as a coach, but Grice is still listed as HC.  My assumption was that Grice had left, but there could be any number of reasons why Sturgill was acting HC.  Regardless, this is a disaster for the remainder of this season.  I honestly don't even know what your options are at this point.  I feel bad for the players, especially the seniors. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 25, 2021, 12:16:58 PM
Wilm swept JCU yesterday including winning the second game 17-4.   :o  Welcome to 2021!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 26, 2021, 12:21:11 PM
Mount takes all 4 games from Cap with the finale being Hesse's 500th victory at Mount.  He's one of six coaches in OAC history to win 500 games.  He gets a lot of ribbing from current and former players for some of his coaching methods, but no one questions if Hesse is a good man.  He is.  He cares about his players.

On the Cap front, I was listening to the games yesterday and Scott Manahan was mentioned as the coach.  Unless there is another one running around town coaching baseball, Scott Manahan is the retired long-time HC of Bishop Watterson HS in Columbus.  You cannot ask for a better option in this scenario.  Manahan was an outstanding HS coach and only retired a couple years ago so he's not out of touch.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 09, 2021, 12:15:52 PM
I wonder when the last time was that Ott has lost 9 straight?  They've had a rough season (7-17) which is very uncommon for a program that's nearly always pushing for a top 4 spot.  On the flip side, ONU has won 8 straight and with Mount sweeping BW yesterday the Bears passed BW for 3rd place currently.

The race for 4th place is going to be tight.  BW is up 1 game on Berg currently.  BW has 2 with Mount left then 4 with Musky.  Berg has 2 with Etta then 4 with Wilm.  Berg definitely has the tougher path, but they split with Etta yesterday and the game they lost they lost in 11 innings so they're playing well right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: rockinandyr on May 13, 2021, 02:43:44 PM
OAC changed the tournament format this year...

Day 1:
#6 at #3 (single game)
#5 at #4 (single game)

Day 2:
Lowest remaining seed at #1 (single game)
Highest remaining seed at #2 (single game)

Day 3:
Remaining teams at higher seed (DH)

Day 4 (if necessary):
Remaining teams at higher seed (winner take all game)

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 20, 2021, 10:37:47 AM
Welcome aboard, rockinandyr.  +k to get you going.

I'm kind of split on that format.  On one hand, I think with as deep as the OAC is with quality teams you almost need 6 teams in.  Plus it rewards the top 2 seeds for a strong regular season.  But on the other hand when you only take 4 it makes even making the OAC tourney a big deal.  Making the conference tourney in a lot of conferences isn't big.  In the OAC making it means you are legit. 

In the end I think I like the 6 team format and yesterday proved the point with the 5 and 6 seeds both winning.  I think Etta will dispatch JCU today, but Berg and Mount will be a battle.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on May 21, 2021, 01:19:09 PM
I am not a fan of the single game elimination style tournament when the NCAA has had a double elimination bracket for as long as I can remember.  Both Mount and Marietta proved that they were the best two teams in the league this year and they made the finals so it worked out.  In a single game, one pitcher can get hot and dominate a better team.  The double elimination format forces a team to have the depth that the postseason regularly requires.  I understand this year is different and am glad the OAC included 6 teams, just wish I liked the format better.  Definitely happy that the championship is best of 3.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Jim Dixon on May 23, 2021, 05:53:40 PM
I expect them to scrape it next year

Quote from: Pops33 on May 21, 2021, 01:19:09 PM
I am not a fan of the single game elimination style tournament when the NCAA has had a double elimination bracket for as long as I can remember.  Both Mount and Marietta proved that they were the best two teams in the league this year and they made the finals so it worked out.  In a single game, one pitcher can get hot and dominate a better team.  The double elimination format forces a team to have the depth that the postseason regularly requires.  I understand this year is different and am glad the OAC included 6 teams, just wish I liked the format better.  Definitely happy that the championship is best of 3.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 01, 2021, 09:43:32 AM
Mount Union had three of their four SP make All-OAC:

1st team:  Gallant, Davis
2nd team:  Sumler

I'm going to guess that has never happened in Mount history.  Congrats to the entire staff on a great year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 17, 2021, 11:18:18 AM
Just saw that former Berg HC and current AD Matt Palm has been hired to be HC and Asst. AD at Findlay.  Good to see Palm getting back in the dugout.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 21, 2022, 02:13:14 PM
Well, the OAC officially got under way yesterday.  BW picked up a very solid sweep over La Roche with convincing 12-3 and 11-2 wins.  Mount dropped a pair at #17 W&J 4-3 and 8-5.   
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 08, 2022, 09:26:35 AM
BW is off to a 7-0 start and in typical fashion for a Harrison squad they are beating the ball around.  Averaging over 10 runs per game so far with their "worst" output being 6 runs.  Ludwick is hitting .469 so far with Guggenheim right behind him at .462.  They've had good starting pitching so far too so good signs for the Jackets early.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 15, 2022, 12:32:31 PM
Good week for the OAC as Etta takes over #1 in this week's top 25.  BW jumps from ORV to #17 this week on the strength of a 10-1 start as they continue to rake early.  No other OAC team received a top 25 vote which, given our early season records, is not surprising.

Slightly surprising so far is the struggles for JCU (2-7) and ONU (2-6).  Neither has been impressive.

As for my Raiders, 6-5 is not bad considering the massive struggles at the plate.  A .240 team BA is not going to get it done in conference play.  And as bad as that number sounds it's probably worse because Marlowe and Duliba are so far above it flirting with .400 that they're inflating it.  Mazza must have been banged up as he missed some games and then played DH for a game before returning to CF so his bat will make a big difference once he's 100%.  Luckily the pitching has been good again this year so that's keeping them afloat until the bats wake up.  Gallant has been great his last 2 starts and Sumler has been their best pitcher.  Davis has struggled so far, but once he locks in they've got 3 really good SP.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 20, 2022, 07:50:58 PM
We're 1/3 of the way through the regular season and BW is hitting .371 as a team with no starter hitting below .345.  They're slugging .607 with 72 XBH in 14 games including 20 homers.  You look at their box scores and they just put up crooked numbers in multiple innings every game.  We'll see how their pitching holds up in OAC play, but it's been good so far.  The Jackets CLEARLY look like they're closer to Etta than they are to the rest of the OAC right now.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 25, 2022, 02:27:18 PM
OAC opening weekend kicks off tomorrow!

JCU @ Musky:  Definitely surprised to say this, but I think Musky is the favorite here.  A road split for JCU would be a good result IMO.  There is no program more difficult to gauge year to year than Musky. 

BW @ Wilm:  Wilm has a winning record which pre-Tony would have been incredible this late in the year.  They're definitely competitive and they seem to have a few legit sticks.  But BW is loaded offensively and I just don't think Wilm has the arms to keep them in check.  I won't say I'd be "ONU at Etta" shocked with a split here, but I think BW is too deep for the Quakers pitchers right now. 

Cap @ Ott:  I hate that this is the opening DH for these two.  I want rivals playing later into the schedule.  Ott should sweep so Cap is in the same boat as JCU here...a road split is a win.  Cap has already shown better competitiveness than last year, but I don't think they're quite up to the Cards level yet.  Ott doesn't seem to have any dominant pitching so far so Cap has a chance though.

ONU @ Etta:  I would be shocked if ONU even has a chance to win either game after a few innings.  The Pios just hung 31 on La Roche yesterday.  Sabatine has been shaky so far, but they hit way too well 1-9 and have too many other arms to drop one to the Bears.  Mathews hasn't allowed a run in 20.0 IP so he's been lights out.  With him throwing multiple IP and dominating it gives me Andy Lowe vibes for anyone who's been following since those great Berg teams.

Berg @ Mount:  I'm biased, but I think this is the key DH of the weekend.  Not necessarily because I think either of these teams is going to contend with Etta, but I think both teams are going to be in the mix for the OAC tourney and neither team has given us any real indicators of where they're gonna shake out in that fight.  A sweep by either would be a big result.  Good news for Mount is that in their midweek game this week we saw the return of 100% Mazza.  He went 3-4, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R from his leadoff spot.

My gut is...JCU/Musky split, Ott sweeps, BW sweeps, Etta sweeps, Berg/Mount split.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 29, 2022, 07:03:22 PM
Things I got right:  Ott sweeps Cap, JCU and Musky split.

Things I got wrong:  Everything else.

ONU somehow splits at Etta by winning the 2nd game 3-2 on the strength of a great start from Knapschaefer.  This is a head scratcher because ONU doesn't hit well (and didn't Saturday).  Knapschaefer was 0-3, but his numbers were good.  They threaded the needle and combined him and Truax (by far their other best arm so far) into a huge win.

Wilm splits with BW.  Wilm got a 6-2 win in the opener and was pretty much playing with house money.  I didn't think they could hold BW to runs in the first 3 innings let alone an entire game.

Mount sweeps Berg 4-2 and 7-1 riding their strong pitching.  Mount went into today leading the OAC in team ERA and this will only help.  Gallant and Sumler were strong and Osman closed out both games in nearly flawless fashion.

One item to note is that Mother Nature messing with the schedule opening weekend basically only hurts Mount.  Because of postponing I would be shocked if anyone besides Etta and ONU can throw their 1-2 starters on Saturday.  Well Etta plays Cap so that's not really an issue who either team starts that's going to impact the outcome.  For Mount going to ONU it could be.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 04, 2022, 09:05:19 AM

Etta (3-1) sweeps Cap (0-4) by a combined 37-4 score.  No surprise there as Etta is clearly the best team and Cap is clearly the worst.

BW (3-1) sweeps Musky (1-3) relatively easily.  7-1 and 8-1.  Musky bounced back and took it out on OWU yesterday 16-2.

Ott (3-1) splits with Berg (1-3).  On paper this looks like a good split for Berg.

Mount (3-1) splits with ONU (2-2).  With that key split with Etta in their pocket ONU holds serve at home.  They also notched a nice win yesterday over a good Allegheny team.

JCU (3-1) sweeps Wilm (1-3).  Both of these games were high scoring and came down to the 9th inning.  Wilm came up short, but they are definitely going to cause some problems this year.

At this point all we seem to know for sure is that Etta is really, really good.  BW is really good.  Cap is bad.  Everyone else TBD.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2022, 10:38:35 PM
Wilm has been competitive this season.  They're holding their own.  Etta beat them 17-4 and 29-1 today.  The second game the Pios scored 17 runs in the 6th inning.  They hit 3 bombs including TWO grand slams in the 6th inning.  Etta vs. BW is gonna be must see this year.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 25, 2022, 12:32:47 PM
Standings going into the final 2 DH's:

Etta 13-1
BW  11-3
Ott  10-4
JCU  9-5
Mount  8-6
Wilm  6-8

Saturday is the long awaited showdown between BW and Etta in Berea.  BW put up 23 runs over the weekend against a pretty good Mount staff and then added a 25-1 win over Oberlin yesterday.  Etta is just cruising along at 31-3 though.

JCU has a one game edge on Mount for the 4 seed, but two big factors favor Mount.  First, they end with Cap and Musky (both 2-12) while JCU finishes with Ott and BW.  Second, Mount swept JCU giving them the tie breaker.

One question I have and do not see an answer for on the OAC website is if the 6 team tourney format is back this year.  If so that would put Wilm in a great position to make the tourney which would be fantastic for that program in their progression.

Last thought, it's been a rough year in Tiffin.  Berg is sitting at 4-10 and 12-20 overall.  When Mount swept them to open OAC play I thought that was going to be a good leg up, but that hasn't proved to be the case.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: joelmama on April 26, 2022, 10:43:48 AM
Thank you for the commentary!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: rockinandyr on May 02, 2022, 11:54:23 AM
If the softball tournament is any indication, they are going back to the 4 team format this year.

The championships page also have the tournament as a Thursday-Sunday at the #1 seed.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on May 02, 2022, 12:49:00 PM
Quote from: rockinandyr on May 02, 2022, 11:54:23 AM
If the softball tournament is any indication, they are going back to the 4 team format this year.

The championships page also have the tournament as a Thursday-Sunday at the #1 seed.
Baseball is top 4 teams. Marietta guys talking about that on the radio Saturday.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: EttaFan1 on May 03, 2022, 02:31:11 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on April 10, 2022, 10:38:35 PM
  Etta vs. BW is gonna be must see this year.

Game 1 was not a good watch. 

Game 2 was somewhat surprising.  a 2-0 pitcher's duel is not what I expected from this matchup.  BW's pitcher was outstanding. He had a no-hitter going into the 5th. 

Heading to the final weekend...

I think Marietta sweeps otterbein.
I think Mount sweeps Musky.
I think BW sweeps JCU.

That would leave
MC at 17-1
BW at 13-5
Mount at 12-6
Ott at 12-6

Mount and Ott split. Both would have been swept by Marietta in this scenario. Otterbein split with BW where Mount was swept.  This would likely give Otterbein the higher seed in the tie break (but I could be totally wrong).

Not sure how Mount ends up any higher than the 4 at this point.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 03, 2022, 04:03:44 PM
I tried to come up with a scenario Sunday where Mount was not the 4 seed and all I could come up with was JCU sweeping BW.  Seems unlikely, but JCU can hit the ball some too so I suppose they have a puncher's chance.  I just don't think they have the pitching to pull it off. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 10, 2022, 10:02:05 AM
Otterbein definitely opened some eyes sweeping Etta on the road to end the regular season, but it didn't upset the OAC tourney seedings.

Thursday:
#4 Mount vs. #1 Etta
#3 BW vs. #2 Ott

I'm interested to see what Mount does on the mound.  In the regular season Davis and Sumler started against Etta.  They both started Saturday so both would be ready to go.  Gallant started on Sunday at Musky so he would be on 3 days rest.  I assume Valentine will get the ball for the Pios which will give Mount little margin for error.

As a fan I'm very interested in the Ott/BW game though.  The Cards are playing really well and BW has the lineup to make any game interesting.  That should be an entertaining game.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 16, 2022, 09:38:05 AM
Thoughts from the weekend:

We ended up pretty much where we were 1/4 of the way through the season.  It was Etta (gap) BW (gap) Mount/Ott.  Etta is clearly a level above everyone else this year.

BW should make the tourney as a pool C.  I'm not sure they're built for a deep run this year.  The pitching has been too inconsistent beyond a couple guys.  Statistically they were 2nd in the OAC in ERA, but game-to-game they make me nervous.  They can hit the ball around the yard, but in a regional everyone is going to have some good pitching.  I hope they prove me wrong though.

Etta can make a run just because they hit (.386 team BA) and field (.979 team FP) so well.  They have multiple guys capable of getting red hot like Yenzi did over the weekend and just wrecking games.  If they have a chink in the armor it's pitching depth I guess.  Valentine is 12-1 and Matthews closing is the best pitcher in the OAC IMO, but beyond those two I'm not sure there are more dominant arms laying around.  But again, when you don't make errors and you can hit you can wear teams down over the course of the regional.

Congrats to Mount's Dwayne Sumler who ended the season at the top of the strikeout list in the OAC at 81 in 68.2 IP.  He took a no hitter into the 6th against Ott in the OAC tourney.  I think Sumler was a 4th year this year so hopefully he returns for another season.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 16, 2022, 02:29:31 PM
As expected Etta will host their regional as the top seed.  Christopher Newport is the 2 seed and it looks like they were ranked #7 in their latest regional ranking.  They did beat Etta at the very beginning of the season FWIW.  Mt. Aloysius and Kalamazoo are the other 2 teams in the regional.  I can't see the Pios not winning this and moving on to the super regional.

BW is the 2 seed in their regional at Brockport.  Wheaton (MA) is the 1 seed and Brockport is the 3 seed.  Johnston & Wales is the 4 seed.  This isn't a bad draw for BW at all.  Wheaton and Brockport are good teams, but certainly not elite teams on paper.  BW has a legit shot at winning this regional which is all you can hope for as a pool C.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 23, 2022, 10:07:28 AM
Great weekend for the OAC!  Etta and BW go a combined 6-0 in their respective regionals and advance to the super regionals.  We get at least another full weekend of OAC baseball.  On top of that, both coaches had career milestones.  Harrison picked up win #300 and Brewer won his 600th game.

On an overall note, technology is an awesome thing.  I'd have the scoreboard page up and just hop on a video feed when I saw a close game outside of the OAC games.  I was lucky enough to catch Wooster's walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th last night this way. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 23, 2022, 10:12:59 AM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on May 23, 2022, 10:07:28 AM
Great weekend for the OAC!  Etta and BW go a combined 6-0 in their respective regionals and advance to the super regionals.  We get at least another full weekend of OAC baseball.  On top of that, both coaches had career milestones.  Harrison picked up win #300 and Brewer won his 600th game.

On an overall note, technology is an awesome thing.  I'd have the scoreboard page up and just hop on a video feed when I saw a close game outside of the OAC games.  I was lucky enough to catch Wooster's walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th last night this way.
Yes, Wooster's walk-off was something!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on May 23, 2022, 11:20:23 AM
All four Ohio teams (2 OAC and 2 NCAC) are still alive as of Monday morning.  Congrats to Marietta and BW for making the Super-Regionals.  Denison needs 1 more win over a tough Salisbury team and Wooster needs to win 2 over Bethel today.  Would be awesome to see all 4 continue!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 27, 2022, 03:59:06 PM
The OAC moves to 7-0 this postseason.  BW takes their opener 4-2 over Endicott.  BW got a 2-run bomb from Ludwick in the 1st to get them going then a huge go ahead solo shot from Mohickney in the 7th to make it 3-2.  Wilson was lights out in relief allowing no runs and only 1 hit over the final 4 innings.  Etta was pushed until tomorrow due to the crap weather today. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: D3baseballparent on May 29, 2022, 09:10:31 PM
OAC is now 10-0 in the tourney. 2 in the World Series. Etta dominate. They simply don't make mistakes and jumps all over any mistake their opponent makes. Hoping BW and Marietta are on opposite sides of the bracket. As well as the OAC has done, it makes me wonder if Otterbein would have made some noise too.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 29, 2022, 09:30:50 PM
Edit: WRONG! The Super Regional Winners were seeded for the National Championships.  See Below


Quote from: D3baseballparent on May 29, 2022, 09:10:31 PM
OAC is now 10-0 in the tourney. 2 in the World Series. Etta dominate. They simply don't make mistakes and jumps all over any mistake their opponent makes. Hoping BW and Marietta are on opposite sides of the bracket. As well as the OAC has done, it makes me wonder if Otterbein would have made some noise too.
Yes. Marietta will face UWSP (Trinity TX & Catholic are the other teams in that bracket.)
BWC will face Salisbury. ECSU and La Grange are the other teams in that bracket.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 29, 2022, 11:40:38 PM
Not to doubt you, Ralph, but not sure that is official. The bracket was drawn that way but notice how the lines aren't drawn in. Those matchups are not set in ink.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 30, 2022, 01:33:38 AM
Thanks, Pat. I was going off the original. I liked those matchups!
I hope they keep them.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: mr_b on May 30, 2022, 08:50:51 PM
From the D3Baseball.com website, a detailed breakdown of the D3 Baseball Championship, showing which teams are in each bracket (https://www.d3baseball.com/playoffs/2022/world-series-matchups-set). Marietta and Baldwin-Wallace are in different brackets.

Bracket 1 (D3baseball.com Top 25 rankings)
No. 2 Marietta (43-5) vs. Catholic (34-14), 10 a.m. CT (No. 1 vs. No. 8 seed)
No. 7 Salisbury (36-10) vs. No. 12 Stevens Point (40-8), 1:15 p.m. CT (No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed)

Bracket 2
No. 1 Eastern Connecticut (44-3) vs. No. 21 Baldwin Wallace (37-11), 4:30 CT (No. 2 vs. No. 7 seed)
No. 4 LaGrange (42-7) vs. No. 15 Trinity, Texas (37-11), 7:45 CT (No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed)
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 31, 2022, 10:09:09 AM
BW's half of the bracket is an absolute meat grinder.  If they can somehow knock off ECSU that buys them at least to a game 3.  With their lineup once you start getting to team's #3 or lower SP BW has a shot against anyone.

Etta should win their opener with little trouble I'd imagine.  If they win their 2nd game it's pretty much over on that side of the bracket.  They just defend so well and have such a deep lineup that I can't see them losing multiple games in a row.  Of course, Otterbein did it right before the OAC tourney so it's possible.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pops33 on June 01, 2022, 12:52:18 PM
It is so awesome that Ohio has 2 teams in the World Series.  It shows the quality of baseball in this state.  Would have had 3 if Wooster had any pitching left in the 3rd game.  Nationally, I think everyone is looking to see a Eastern Conn vs. Marietta final, but I think BW has the lineup to pull off the upset.  Looking forward to see what plays out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 01, 2022, 06:21:30 PM
Quote from: Pops33 on June 01, 2022, 12:52:18 PM
It is so awesome that Ohio has 2 teams in the World Series.  It shows the quality of baseball in this state.  Would have had 3 if Wooster had any pitching left in the 3rd game.  Nationally, I think everyone is looking to see a Eastern Conn vs. Marietta final, but I think BW has the lineup to pull off the upset.  Looking forward to see what plays out.

2 in the WS, 4 in the super regionals is impressive.  But to me the thing that separates Ohio from a lot of states is the depth.  You had teams like Case, Witt, Ott, Mount, Kenyon that were all good D3 squads.  That group rotates year-to-year, but it's always quality teams.  And outside of a couple (Cap, OWU, Oberlin?) no one is just plain bad.  Even Wilm and Hiram are getting better. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ECSUalum on June 01, 2022, 09:27:12 PM
Can anybody tell me why ECSU is seeded #2 in the CWS?  They have been #1 in the d3 poll for a month now!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on June 01, 2022, 09:57:48 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on June 01, 2022, 09:27:12 PM
Can anybody tell me why ECSU is seeded #2 in the CWS?  They have been #1 in the d3 poll for a month now!
Because as magnificent we think that the D3baseball.com poll is,   ;)

it is not part of the criteria used by the Championship committee of Division III baseball.

The Poll is just a poll, the opinion of 25 coaches, SIDs and sportwriters across the country.

Thanks for asking and good luck in the Tourney.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 27, 2023, 10:59:28 AM
It's crazy to say this in January, but we are less than a month away from the OAC opening the season.  Well, not ONU.  They do not start until early March.  But everyone else starts in less than a month.

In past years I felt like I had a good handle on the OAC landscape coming into most years.  I follow OAC baseball closely enough to have a sense of how teams are looking (at least on paper).  Honestly, post-COVID I have no clue because I have no idea who is coming back until rosters are posted now.  Top 10 squads Etta (#6) and BW (#10) were the only teams receiving votes in the D3 top 25 preseason poll.  I don't think that's surprising to anyone.

Wilm opens things up 3 weeks from today in GA.  BW and Musky open the following day. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Ralph Turner on January 27, 2023, 12:14:02 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 27, 2023, 10:59:28 AM
It's crazy to say this in January, but we are less than a month away from the OAC opening the season.  Well, not ONU.  They do not start until early March.  But everyone else starts in less than a month.

In past years I felt like I had a good handle on the OAC landscape coming into most years.  I follow OAC baseball closely enough to have a sense of how teams are looking (at least on paper).  Honestly, post-COVID I have no clue because I have no idea who is coming back until rosters are posted now.  Top 10 squads Etta (#6) and BW (#10) were the only teams receiving votes in the D3 top 25 preseason poll.  I don't think that's surprising to anyone.

Wilm opens things up 3 weeks from today in GA.  BW and Musky open the following day.
Part of what we are seeing relates to who has COVID seniors who have hung around and who doesn't.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on January 31, 2023, 10:41:22 AM
Quote from: Ralph Turner on January 27, 2023, 12:14:02 PM
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 27, 2023, 10:59:28 AM
It's crazy to say this in January, but we are less than a month away from the OAC opening the season.  Well, not ONU.  They do not start until early March.  But everyone else starts in less than a month.

In past years I felt like I had a good handle on the OAC landscape coming into most years.  I follow OAC baseball closely enough to have a sense of how teams are looking (at least on paper).  Honestly, post-COVID I have no clue because I have no idea who is coming back until rosters are posted now.  Top 10 squads Etta (#6) and BW (#10) were the only teams receiving votes in the D3 top 25 preseason poll.  I don't think that's surprising to anyone.

Wilm opens things up 3 weeks from today in GA.  BW and Musky open the following day.
Part of what we are seeing relates to who has COVID seniors who have hung around and who doesn't.

Precisely.  It's a crapshoot until rosters get posted because guys who were seniors may use their COVID year and come back and we just don't know until the rosters are up.

Speaking of which, I hopped on and saw Mount's roster is up.  There are a lot of new (or fairly new) faces that will need to emerge.  They had a ton of senior contributors in 2022 so this isn't a surprise.  Offensively as long as you can start by building your lineup around Mazza and Schilling you don't feel too bad.  Those are two proven bats that both hit for power.  On the pitching side they lost a massive amount of IP from last year with Hawley (21 IP, 2 GS) being their most experienced returning arm.  As much fun as it is to have a veteran team like last year I enjoy years like this too because it's fun to see the next crop of talent burst onto the scene.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 08, 2023, 09:37:40 AM
Thinking about the roster got me curious about Dwayne Sumler because I thought he had one more season available if he wanted it.  Obviously it would have been a huge help to have a SP back who was 1st team All-OAC and 2nd team All-Region.  He does, but he transferred to DII Univ. of Charleston (WV).  Charleston was 40-18 last year and was picked as the favorite to win their conference this year so he landed at a very good DII program.  Good luck down south, Dwayne!
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 19, 2023, 06:09:13 PM
BW headed down to KY and swept Centre this weekend 11-0, 9-7, 16-4.  I think we all figured with what they had coming back the Jackets are gonna be scoring in bunches.  That didn't take long.  Vonderhaar already put 2 homers on the board coming off 19 last year.  If Harrison has the arms...
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2023, 08:36:46 PM
BW is currently ranked #5.  BW can undoubtedly rake.  But BW has also allowed 53 runs in 8 games.  If you're gonna win the OAC much less do any damage in the regional you better figure out your pitching in the next 2 months.  They don't have an ace and I'm not sure if Harrison has any legit reliable arms.  They came back and won 7-6 today after their ace gave a up a 4 spot in the top of the 1st.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 04, 2023, 08:38:17 PM
The combo of BW's lack of pitching early and Etta's lack of hitting early is making this intriguing.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 21, 2023, 03:42:14 PM
BW (13-2) moves up to #3 in this week's top 25.  Etta (11-5) remains at #20.  Ott (12-3) is ORV.

Early on the conference as a whole is doing pretty well with Cap being the lone team under .500 currently sitting at 4-5.  Take that with a grain of salt as half those wins are in DH splits against branch schools FWIW.

Wilm dropped their first six games out of the gate, but has roared back winning 8 of 9 since then.  Vittorio continues to do a really good job with the Quakers.

ONU (10-5) and Mount (11-4) are both living off of strong pitching both with team ERA just a hair below 3.00 so far.  Neither has swung particularly hot bats with team BA well below .300.  In Mount's case their record is a little surprising considering they are dead last in fielding % so far.  Plus they are getting a ton of IP from freshmen including comprising half of their rotation.

Looking at team stats BW has a 5.40 team ERA and has given up 18 homers already.  The next most is 6 by Cap and Ott.  But they've also hit an OAC-leading 23 bombs too.  That's a testament to how deep and talented the Jackets lineup is.  Plus they're battle tested and just find ways to win close games.

Musky (8-3) is hitting a conference-best .384 in Krupar's first season.  I have no clue if this is the case with this current team, but what I do know from following the OAC closely for a long time is that anytime Musky is good it's because they can rake.  Small sample size so far, so let's see how conference play goes especially with a team ERA north of 6.


Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2023, 10:49:38 AM
Mount and Etta split yesterday in the only DH that was played.  Mount came back from down 8-3 and hung on to win 10-9 in game 1.  I was chuckling a little listening to the Marietta radio guys bemoaning a couple balls dropping in for Mount being the difference when Mount had 17 hits and left 13 runners on base (Etta left 6).  Etta bounced back and cruised in game 2 14-4. 

Neither teams' pitchers will be hoping for another weather day like that to pitch in.  Anything in the air was either carrying or, at best, an adventure.  The low mark for hits yesterday was Etta's 12 hits in game 1.  At one point there was a foul ball down the 3B line that they initially thought it might get into the seats and it ended up being caught almost in fair territory.

Everyone else opens today.  A couple good DH to keep an eye on opening weekend:  ONU @ BW, JCU @ Ott.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 27, 2023, 09:26:58 AM
JCU gets a huge road sweep at Ott.  That's massive sweeping another probable OAC tourney contender on the road.

ONU gets a strong split at BW.  The questions around BW's pitching continue so this is going to be interesting.

Musky sweeps Wilm.  Fish won on a walk off BB game 1 and cruised in game 2.

Berg pummels Cap in Tiffin 17-3 and 14-1.  I watched some of this DH and the takeaway has less to do with Berg and more to do with Cap.  They aren't good.

My summary thoughts on the first weekend are basically that this looks like it's going to be a pretty wide open year.  BW and Etta still the favorites, but I can absolutely see this being a season where the OAC champ is 14-4 or 13-5.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 28, 2023, 11:09:17 PM
Berg lost 7-1 at 3-13 Albion.  I don't understand what's going on in this conference right now.  It's gonna be chaos this year I think.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 02, 2023, 08:57:06 PM
Weather delayed results from today:

JCU (4-0) remains the only undefeated team sweeping Musky (2-2) today (at Wooster?).  The Streaks are really hitting the ball well and Aukerman has been as good as any SP in the conference.  When you have guys who would be front runners for top pitcher and also top player (Olsavsky) you're going to be in the hunt.

Etta (3-1) sweeps ONU (1-3) in Ada with identical 11-2 scores in both games.  Carson continues to make his case for OAC MVP.  He's absolutely raking and also pitching well to boot.  Good news for ONU is they are done with BW and Etta already so plenty of time to move up.

BW (3-1) sweeps Wilm (0-4) on the road.  The only surprising thing here is that game 1 went 12 innings before BW finally won 5-2.

Mount (3-1) sweeps Berg (2-2) at home.  Mount got solid pitching today winning 6-2 and 9-3.  Schilling came in leading the OAC in RBI and drove in 4 runs today. 

Ott (2-2) swept Cap (0-4).  Cap just doesn't have the horses to be competitive again this year.  They're going to struggle to win more than a couple games in OAC play.

After two weekends my main takeaway is JCU looks legit.  The BW loss to Allegheny, 12 inning affair in Wilm are both things that are a little puzzling, but they're 17-4 so I'm picking nits here.  Etta has been hitting a ton the last few games so they've clearly shaken off whatever early offensive woes they had. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 07, 2023, 04:13:19 PM
What a start in Berea!  Etta and BW go 11 innings with Valentine and Snyder dueling.  BW wins 2-1 on a Capolupo walk-off single.  Snyder went 10 IP (on 130 pitches) for BW.  Lot of work for a ND but I'm sure he couldn't care less. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 12, 2023, 09:25:56 AM
Proud of my Raiders yesterday.  BW jumped out early to a big 7-0 lead.  Easily could have gotten down with BW knocking it around the yard.  Mount battled back and ended up winning 9-8 in 10 on a walk-off homer from Kemer.  Big split.  A glance at the standings showing Mount at 4-4 doesn't seem impressive, but sitting at 4-4 and having already played BW, Etta and Ott (and even Berg who is also 4-4 after splitting w JCU yesterday) is not a bad spot to be in.

Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 15, 2023, 11:53:32 PM
Huge sweep of JCU by ONU today.  Things are getting interesting now.  BW slides into 1st at 8-2. Etta, ONU and JCU right behind at 7-3.  Mount and Ott at 6-4.  Mount swept Cap who is really struggling again.  They're 2-17 against D3 teams 0-10 in OAC and the 2 wins are against Elmira (6-18).  Fornara throws a CG today to move to 5-1 as a frosh.  Looks like Mount has their future ace.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 19, 2023, 06:19:38 PM
Big road split for my Raiders at JCU today.  Mazza carried them.  7-2 win w a solo shot and grand slam from Mazza.  Hansen and Hawley combined on them mound for the W.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on April 23, 2023, 08:11:12 PM
I don't claim to know what the answer is at Cap but they're not even competitive.  They're 2-21 against D3 teams and 0-14 in OAC and rarely competitive in conference games.  Manahan is a HS legend here and I don't know who they could get that's better but this is clearly a mountain to climb to even be competitive w the OAC.  Having watched Wilm (2nd to last) today and Cap last weekend against Mount it's not particularly close.  Wilm doesn't have the arms after Boster but they have some dudes in the field.  Cap is just not close either way. 

Unrelated but JCU had their shot to sweep Etta and couldn't get a run across w guys on 2nd and 3rd and no outs in the bottom of the 8th.  Gotta push one across and take the lead there.  Strikeout, pop out, ground out.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 01, 2023, 10:05:05 AM
The OAC tournament field is nearly locked down heading into the final weekend.  BW (14-2), Etta (12-4) and ONU (12-4) have all clinched spots.  I could be wrong, but I also think BW clinched hosting.  No one swept the other two H2H.  BW swept Etta and split with ONU.  ONU got swept by Etta.  So I think the 3 way tie breaker ends there?  I'm not positive and for the 39th time I'll complain yet again that the OAC does not have the tie breakers on their website.

The 4th spot is between JCU (10-6), Ott (9-7) and Mount (9-7).  JCU has BW while Ott (vs Wilm) and Mount (vs Musky) have easier draws.  I'm not even going to attempt to go down the rabbit hole of scenarios here other than the obvious win and you're in for JCU.  The lesson as usual is that just making the conference tourney in this conference is an accomplishment.  At various points in the season all three of these teams received top 25 votes and two of them are not even going to make the conference tournament. 

Final note from this weekend...how about Aaron Boster from Wilm?!  They score 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th to go up 6-4 on JCU only to give up 3 in the top of the 9th and lose in what had to be crushing fashion.  Boster goes out in game 2 and goes 8 IP striking out 19(!!!) Streaks to get the split for his squad.  Wow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 08, 2023, 10:28:45 AM
OAC tourney is set.  #4 JCU vs #1 BW followed by #3 ONU vs #2 Etta on Thursday. 

My amateur predictions for OAC special award winners:

COY:  Stechshulte
POY:  Carson
Cy:  Aukerman
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 11, 2023, 02:21:01 PM
JCU shuts out BW 5-0 in game 1.  Aukerman goes 7.2 shutout IP to improve to 8-0 in another stellar start for JCU.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: ADL70 on May 12, 2023, 02:03:32 PM
Streaks beat Etta. Either Etta or BW has to beat them twice to win the auto. CWRU's chances just got a bit dimmer. Denison is holding serve in NCAC.

Update Northern eliminates BW. It's up to Etta to help the Spartans
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 14, 2023, 08:11:22 PM
Congrats to JCU.  I'm guessing there are a lot of potential pool C teams none too happy with the OAC this weekend.  I'm sure everyone was counting on the OAC grabbing one bid from pool C, but this is obviously worst case for bubble teams.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on May 21, 2023, 12:03:26 AM
The OAC doing well so far.  BW and Etta both in the driver's seat as the winners bracket team in their regional.  Denison and Adrian need to beat them twice, respectively tomorrow.  JCU lost their 5 game series at aurora 3-0 but they were right in every game against the host who is now 42-4.  Excellent season for the Streaks.  They acquitted themselves very well this weekend.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 05, 2023, 05:20:21 PM
BW beats #1 Johns Hopkins earlier 6-3 to force a winner-take-all game starting shortly.  Winner advances to the championship series beginning tomorrow.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Pat Coleman on June 06, 2023, 10:14:14 AM
Best showing for Baldwin Wallace at the D-III World Series to date. They're fun to watch.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on June 06, 2023, 10:57:02 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on June 06, 2023, 10:14:14 AM
Best showing for Baldwin Wallace at the D-III World Series to date. They're fun to watch.

As long as Harrison is there they always should be.  They can always swing it and put up runs.  Fantastic season for BW.  Those seniors should be proud of the foundation they've laid for that program.

We're spoiled in the OAC.  BW has now established themselves as a WS caliber program joining Etta in that tier.  JCU had a great season and went toe to toe with an top 5 Aurora team in their regional.  ONU went 12-6 in conference including 3-3 against the top 3.  Mount split with all 3 of the NCAA teams.  Ott is always good.  There's just so much quality baseball in the conference right now it's really exciting as a fan. 
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on August 01, 2023, 04:52:40 PM
Bad news for JCU, good news for the rest of us...Olsavsky signed with the Braves so he's not coming back for his senior year.  Kid is a stud.  Glad he's getting a shot.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on February 27, 2024, 04:56:22 PM
It's not even the end of February and we've already had some interesting results.

Congrats to BW who is #1 in the latest D3 poll.  They had started off at #3 but beat previous #1 JHU in Baltimore over the weekend.  Their lone loss was in extra innings to current #24 Arcadia in a weekend split.  BW has played a tough OOC slate so far.  They beat W&J in their opener.  I watched some of a couple of their games and they just seem to reload with the bats.  Mally Kilbane transferred over from Grove City after raking there for 2 years and slid right into the #3 spot in the lineup. 

On the flip side is Etta who has dropped from #8 to #20 this week thanks to an 0-4 start.  But there's a huge asterisk next to their record given the brutal schedule they've played early.  Etta has lost one-run games to #2 Salisbury, #5 Lynchburg and #17 Cortland.  Their other result was a 5-1 loss to #15 CNU.  Seems pretty clear Etta is very good again this year.

Barry Craddock is off to a rough start at Wilm.  The Quakers have been outscored 70-17 in an 0-6 start.  I watched a little of their game against Piedmont and didn't recognize many names.

Mount is out of the gate 4-1 including a win over previously ranked Ithaca on Sunday.  They dropped the 2nd game that day to Case 4-3 over at W&J.  I watched all or parts of all 5 games.  It seems like many teams at this point they're trying to figure out roles and new players around their strong nucleus that returned.  They've had several freshmen play already which is always fun as a fan.  I also noticed former BW 3B Chris Viamonte is playing for Mount this season.  He's hit well early on to go with his well known glove at 3B.

Things will really start to take off the end of this week with BW, Berg, Etta, JCU, Ott, Mount, Musky all getting going down south.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 22, 2024, 03:30:46 PM
Opening weekend in OAC play.  3 of the DH are now on Sunday I'm assuming due to expected weather.  Here are the match ups including the current SoS ranking nationally since OOC schedules vary widely.

Berg (12-4, #102) at Cap (6-10, #151)  Cap is giving up north of 8 runs per game.  Berg is scoring just below 8 runs per game and leads the conference with 17 homers and 58 XBH.  Throw in that Cap notched 2 wins against a branch school and Berg should sweep this. 

BW (13-3, #68) at ONU (6-8, #158)  BW has been by their standards middle of the road offensively so far.  But they lead the OAC by more than half a run with a team ERA of 2.94.  ONU is middle of the pack with both the bats and pitching.  Feels like a BW sweep.   

Etta (8-8, #33) at Mount (12-4, #83)  Probably the best match up this weekend.  Etta is battle tested already with a schedule that I was honestly surprised was only #33.  These teams' offensive stats are very, very similar.  Etta has had better pitching so far, but Mount's work horses have thrown well so far.  Split in Alliance.

Ott (12-5, #71) at JCU (5-9, #141)  JCU is struggling on the mound (7.40 ERA, 1.79 WHIP) which is a terrible recipe with Ott coming to town.  The Cards are hitting a scorching .345 as a team and leading the OAC at over 10 runs per game.  They're also tied for first with 58 XBH.  This should be a sweep for Ott, but their pitching makes me a little nervous.

Musky (9-7, #202) at Wilm (2-12, #98)  Musky is the second best offense so far albeit against the weakest opponents.  They have 59 SB which is tops in the OAC by a wide margin.  Wilm will not help their SoS, but Musky should score in bunches.  The Fish have given up an alarming 25 bombs in 16 games as a staff so clearly you're never out of the game against them.  The problem for the Quakers is they are dead last in hitting (.266 team BA).  Musky sweeps on the road.
Title: Re: BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference
Post by: Dr. Acula on March 26, 2024, 04:48:41 PM
Had to wait for Ott to sweep JCU yesterday, but I was pretty close.  Mount sweeping Etta was my only miss.  And those were two battles in Alliance.  Mount won the opener 1-0 and then plated 3 in the bottom of the 8th in the 2nd game to win 6-5.  Breeden was dominant for Mount in game 1 tossing a 5-hit CG shutout with 9 K's.  Neither team got much going with the bats for most of the day.  Mount had an uncharacteristic 5 errors in game 2 which helped the Pios some.

BW moved up to #2 in today's top 25 poll.  Ott and Mount were ORV this week.